Run Stoppable: Escape
by Niklos
Summary: Ron's got himself sidelined for the summer, but he plans to do something about it. A Ron central adventure complete with Nacos and Rufus. Yes, the title is intentional. Enjoy!
1. What Started It All

Good day to everyone. Welcome to my first shot at Mr. Ronald Dean Stoppable and Kim Possible. Booyah! And yes, I actually do say that a lot. Anywho, I'm going to lead Ronald here to become the greatest distraction /escapist of all time. Why? To help Kim and team possible of course. They're always getting captured, often because of him tripping, so he's up to the challenge of becoming the best at getting out of nigh-impossible situations. Let's see how this works out, shall we…

Disclaimer: Just look at someone else's disclaimer. I'm not really into writing one this time around.

* * *

"Awwww man! Sorry KP, it was the pants again." 

"Ron, one of these days I'm taking you to a tailor to get those things to fit right."

"Thanks KP, but I don't think it'll work. My parents already tried it once, but gave up once the tailor came after me with a staple gun."

"Uh, TMI Ron."

"Ahem! Can ve pleaze get back to ze gloating pleaze?"

'Sigh' "Fine Professor Dementor, what's the sitch?"

Once Dementor went into his speech, Ron and Kim just zoned out…well ok, Ron zoned out, while Kim worked on a way to get them out of their bonds. The reasons for this are that a) Ron's naturally lazy, b) Kim gets all the gadgets due to Wade not trusting Ron with anything other than the Kimmunicator and a Grapple Gun from time to time, and c) Ron's attention span in quantitative terms is about the size of Rufus relative to an elephant, unless it has to do with video games or girls. But enough about that, let's get back to what our two favourite heroes are up to…

"…und zen, I vill rule ze vorld!" Dementor has just finished up his uncharacteristically long speech about some sort of device or another. "But now, I must leave you to the capable hands of ze henchmen. I hope you enjoy your stay, avenesein Kim Possible and sidekick. Guards!"

The overly muscle-bound (and burdened) henchmen of the Lilliputian German Villain moved to complete their pre-determined tasks to teen hero Kim Possible and partner Ron Stoppable.

"Well, at least he didn't get into what he's going to do to us." Ron mused.

"Yeah, it's a welcome escape from the ranting and raving of Drakken and Killigan." Kim agreed.

"So Kim," Ron asked as they were pulled to their feet and shouldered by two particularly large henchmen who then headed out of the main lair and into a scrapyard in the back, "You have a plan yet to get us out of here?"

"Working on it Ron." It was in her annoyed voice so Ron knew to keep quiet for a while. Kim always came through with some amazing plan of action, facilitated usually by one of Wade's badical gadgets. Whether it was some daring acrobatic feat, or a straightforward "bust out and beat down", Kim managed to always pull off the impossible with next to no damage to their own persons.

At present, the Henchmen were trussing up Kim and Ron to a chain hanging from a rather large chain. Their arms were tied behind their backs at the wrists and elbows and then secured to the others' ropes in some sort of complex woven knot. '_These guys are getting better._' Kim thought as the ropes were drawn tight together. Her mind was working overtime as she realized what Dementor had in mind for their demise this time. The chain was connected to a crane, which was positioned next to a rather large…car crusher! '_Oh snap!_'

"Uh, Ron?"

"Yeah KP?"

"You wouldn't happen to have some sort of pocket knife of you would you?" Kim pleaded with fate to give her some good luck just this once.

"Hmmm…nope, sorry KP. I got nothin'…why do you ask?"

"Oh nothing…just that we're about to be hoisted into that car crusher and turned into Kim and Ron foldout cards!"

Kim's point was emphasized as the chain went taught and the duo were unceremoniously hoisted into the air, albeit slowly.

"Waaaaaaaah!" was all that Ron could holler, as he comprehended their predicament. Sure, he'd been put into life-threatening situations before, but that didn't make them any less scary to him. And machines weren't like genetically engineered animas and the like; they were cold, unflinching, and uncaring as to what they were processing. Even death rays were less scary…mostly because Rufus usually could get into some of the circuitry and screw them up. That, and they were favourites of Dr. Drakken whose competency with mechanical apparatus was questionable at best. But now was not the time for thinking about the past…

"Rufus! Help us out here buddy."

The naked Molerat popped out of Kim and Ron's pocket just as the crane had positioned itself over the car crusher. Looking down, the little guy had barely enough time to squeak 'uh oh' before he plummeted down with both Kim and Ron. Unfortunately for him, he ended up hitting the sidewall of the crusher first, knocking him unconscious.

"Ow!"

"Gnnnn."

"Rufus!"

"Ron quiet down and let's figure out a way to get out of this."

"Rufus was our way out of this KP!" Ron was beginning to panic now, and it showed on his face. His eyes had dilated to their fullest, his breathing became raspy and labored, and he was visibly paler, if that was at all possible.

Kim took stock of the sitch, and the outlook was not good. Rufus looked like he was down for the count, Ron was of less use to her now than usual, and she was in a tight spot indeed. She couldn't even reach her Kimmunicator in her leg pocket to contact Wade for ideas. Looking around Kim assessed their current prison with a critical eye. The walls of the car crushed were at least three times her height and slick with grease, gasoline, and windshield washer fluid from crushed cars in the past. '_Well, running the walls is out._' Kim had tested her bonds as they had landed, but found them inescapable without some sort of cutting edge. In a last ditch effort, Kim looked down at the floor of the powerful machine to see how far the walls would come in. To her dismay, the wear patterns ran into a single line in the middle of the machine. '_Looks like we're in real trouble now._'

Kim was beginning to worry now, but her emotional distress went up a notch as she heard and felt the distinctive grinding of gears and the roar of a diesel engine. The crusher had just been started up. Now they were in real trouble.

"Ron."

No answer.

"Ron?

Nothing again.

"RON! Help please?" Kim pleaded.

Swivelling her head over her left shoulder she noticed that Ron's eyes were fluttering. He was going into shock. This was really bad. With Ron unresponsive, Kim was on her own for the time being…unless…Kim didn't want to have to do this, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

Kim rolled to her right, toppling the two seated teens over on their shoulders. Then, she did something that was in her mind, one of the most disgusting habits known to man…she hauled back and spat a lugie out over her left shoulder…which was pointed up. Hoping her aim was true, Kim watched in slow motion as the ball of bodily fluid floated up, reached terminal velocity, and then fell to hit her intended target…Ron's ear.

'_Bullseye._' Kim thought. She didn't have to wait long for the intended effect to take hold…

"Eeeeew, Kim! You know, I never figured you for a spitter and that was…"

"Focus Ron!" Kim was all mission now. She initiated a shuffle and Ron followed suit, enabling them to roll up to a seated position and then into a standing position…with great difficulty due to the floors being greasy as well.

"Alright KP, what's the plan?" Ron's voice was expectant.

"Ron, I don't think I have one." Kim's voice was softer now. Ron could sernse that she was frustrated as heck.

"Come on KP, you can do anything. This little sitch can't get you down…"

He never got the chance to finish the motivational tirade, as the walls creaked, then groaned, and began to slowly inch their way in towards the two teen heroes.

"Any ideas Ron?"

To Ron, Kim sounded desperate. He had to do something, and soon. He figured there to be about another minute before they were both smooshed together for the world to see. Sure he wanted to be together with Kim forever no matter what…but this is NOT what he had in mind.

"Thinking KP!" Ron's rusty mind began to crank through the gears faster and faster.

'_Let's see…Rufus…nope, he's out of it. Jump the walls…not with us tied like this, even if there was no greasy crap all over the walls. Damn, this stinks. Come on Ron, think faster.' _

The walls were now halfway there, and a mere two feet from either set of shoulders. Ron felt around the ropes around his wrists in desperation…

'_Wait a minute, I know this knot…but to get out of it we need to be face to face and the only way to do that is…awww man! This is really gonna suck.' _

"Hey KP?"

"Yeah Ron?" Kim's voice was slightly higher in pitch, which was extremely unusual for her.

"I've got a way out of this, but you have to trust me…k?"

"Ron, what are you getting at?"

"No time Kim, just jump when I say so." He was using his serious voice…one rarely heard.

"What the heck? Ron, what are you…"

"On three! One, two, … three! JUMP KIM!"

Kim's reaction was like lightning, if only because she trusted Ron with her life. She sprang off her legs with the grace that was trained into her from years of cheerleading, martial arts, and world-saving activities. As she reached the apex, Ron jumped back towards where she had jumped, following through as much as he could. His arms did the only thing they could do, they followed Kim's arc…

'_CRUNCH!'_

"Gnaaaaaaah!"

"Ron!"

Kim was pulled into a backflip as Ron's arms went up over his head…from behind his back. Now, when the shoulders are pulled in such a fashion, there tends to be a bit of discomfort. Ok, so there was a lot of discomfort. As soon as Ron's arms hit about the 12:30 position, the moment of truth arrived…and it was GOOOOOOOOD! The ropes had loosened almost all the way and slipped off both Kim and Ron's arms, sending Kim into a graceful landing…and Ron into an in-character reverse butt-slide, landing him next to the far wall.

"Ron, are you okay? RON!" Kim was frantic with worry. She knew what that sound was due to being on the cheer team and being at nearly every basketball game and football game at Middleton High. Brick Flagg tended to cause a few of these such injuries to the other team every year. Kim performed a foot-first slide over to Ron's position. He was still in excruciating pain, as could be seen from the way his upper appendages hung limply at his sides.

"Hey…KP." Ron's voice was weak with pain. His face was just barely managing to grin, nearly looking like a grimace. "I'm good…I think."

"What were you thinking Ron?"

"No time for that Kim," Ron moved to jump…stumble to his feet…but fell on his butt again. "We have to get you out of here."

"Are you sure you're up for this Ron?"

"No problem KP, just let me get ready." Ron shifted with his back to the rear wall, walls closing in on either side of his head, propping his legs up in the air like a springboard. Kim knew exactly was Ron was getting at, and she didn't like it. With Ron on his back, he would be stuck there while she could flip out and escape.

"Ron, wait! Shouldn't we…"

"No time Kimila. Just do it already and get to the controls. You can do anything, remember?" Ron ground his teeth in pain. He knew what he was doing, and that there was an extremely slim chance that he would make it out of this one. But at least he was lucky on one account…that the crusher had moved slower than he had previously planned. It was now only six inches away from either side of his and Kim's body. It was now or never.

"I'll be right back Ron." Kim moved back to ready her jump.

"GO KIM."

Ron brought his legs to his chest as Kim sprang forward in a straight jump. Once her feet contacted with his, Kim and Ron both pushed off as hard as they could, sending Kim into an aerial jump topping the fifteen feet by nearly two whole feet. Grace and beauty moved through the air in the form of a red-headed teen heroine, landing and a tucked roll to cushion the blow. She wasn't out of the woods let though. As Kim blew her flippy crimson hair out of her field of vision, she discovered that the controls for the car crusher were on the opposite end of the room. That wouldn't be so bad…if only for the fact that the two guards that had bound the two teens were still in the room. One stood at the controls, while the other stood with a battle staff in the centre of the room, watching the machine close upon its victims. Both were wearing the usual Professor Dementor goon squad outfit, but were much bigger than the guards Kim had last dealt with. Still, there were only two of them, but she would have to work fast.

'_No big; But I gotta move or Ron is gonna be a wall poster!_'

Reaching into her pocket, Kim pulled out the portable grapple gun Wade had recently set her up with. It was in the shape of a ferociously cute pink curling iron. It even had a little puppy dog face as the grapple hook. Why would wade design such a thing? When your villains have seen the blow dryer turn into a grapple gun trick a few times, they tend to catch on and confiscate the thing, which was the case on this mission. Wade figured a backup couldn't hurt. Besides, the thing did actually work like a curling iron so Kim could use it in those times of hair emergencies. Kim lined up the shot, fired…and found herself knocked backwards almost to the car-crushing machine. She couldn't believe it; A goon had caught her off guard?

"Oh, It's on now!" Cracking her knuckles to accentuate the point she was planning to make all over the muscle freak's face.

"Uh, Kim…A little help here please?" Ron's voice could barely be heard over the grind of the machine.

"Working on it Ron." Kim called out as she performed her signature handspring somersault drop-kick manoeuvre on the first guard…to end up hitting nothing but air.

'_I am so going to have to talk to Jack Hench about his training practices these days. He's getting waaay to in-depth here._'

Shaking herself from her thoughts, Kim ran towards the console and the second good, only to find that he was nowhere to be seen. '_Now where did he g…ahhhh!_' Kim's thoughts were rudely interrupted by the sound of face hitting flesh…namely, her face hitting the forearm of the second goon's outstretched arm. The second burly adversary had moved just out of Kim's line of sight, moving in at the last second to clothesline the heroine, sending her feet forward and her head straight down to meet the cold, unforgiving concrete floor.

"Grrrrrrrr." Kim was pissed as she performed a kip-up after coming out of the momentary daze. She definitely wanted to go loco on his ass now but…

"KIM! HEEEEEELLLLLLLLP!"

"Ron." Kim breathed, stopping her in mid-kick to alter her strategy. She rebounded off the muscle-bound goon who had held the staff weapon earlier, using his bulk to propel herself over the clotheslining son of a…ahem…and slid over to the console. Jamming her hand down on the shiny red button, Kim heard the machine stop and cease up.

"RON! You okay?" Called Kim to her hidden partner.

"Yeah Kim, I'm cool. Just don't take too long okay?"

"Oh don't worry, I don't plan to."

Kim looked like a ravenous fox that had cornered its injured prey in order to feed both itself and its mate. Needless to say, she was scary! The two goons, pissed that they had let her get to the controls, and knowing that Professor Dementor held their paycheques back when they didn't perform, tag teamed the unstoppable Possible hellion named Kim Possible. Kim was a little peeved at the moment, and when she got peeved, she tended to be at her most unpredictable. Not necessarily the most effective, but definitely the most dangerous. Her anger fuelled both her energy reserves and her strength, so right now she was ready to lift up a car! These two goons had not only hurt and humiliated her, but they had caused Ron to get hurt, and that's where she drew the line! No one hurts her BFBF…except her on occasion.

The goon with the energy staff struck first, twirling the staff above his head with one hand as he hurtled towards the redhead. At the moment he was within range, the bulky goon brought the staff down in a vertical slash like designed to cave in Kim's skull. Unfortunately for Kim, he left his legs wide for stability, leaving his stones open for attack. Launching herself in a forward slide to avoid the staff attack, Kim struck like a snake when she passed underneath his legs…with her foot. The impact was great enough to lift the poor henchman into the air several inches, before his legs buckled and he was sent into a wide-eyed hell of pain. Kim dusted herself off as she stood up. Smirking at her handiwork for just a moment, she faced the oncoming assault of scrap metal. Seeing that getting in close to this very determined and angry looking redheaded girl could be detrimental to his health, the second goon began hurtling stacks of compressed scrap metal at Kim. There was plenty of it around, and he had been trained to improvise.

'_This is new._' Thought Kim as she bobbed, weaved, ducked, jumped, and even vaulted out of the way of the deadly projectiles. They were coming slow enough that she could dodge them without too much trouble, but the sheer numbers that they fell combined with the seemingly effortless way the goon launched the heavy blocks at her made Kim note that she had to finish this before she made a mistake or he got lucky. Vaulting over another thrown cube to send it crashing into the other side of the compound, Kim looked around for something to use to her advantage. She wasn't big enough to put the momentum necessary behind her kicks to push the cubes off their trajectory of to even think about throwing them back at the goon standing about thirty feet away. Kim had to think, and think fast, or else she would have some seriously bad bruises on her butt in the morning if those things hit. Kim continued to dodge when she thought back to basic chemistry class and the thermodynamics lesson they had last year. When objects were bombarded with energy, the particles moved faster due to this accumulated energy and thus, had to release the energy into the atmosphere until equilibrium is reached. Namely, things get hot and burn stuff. Hauling out her laser lipstick mid crouch, Kim set the thing on maximum intensity, short burst. Then, performing a sideways-midair handless cartwheel, Kim aimed and fired the stream of concentrated light at the goon. He ducked, thinking she had missed him and proceeded to begin the throw…

"Yeeeeeeowwwwww! Oooof…"

The goon had forgotten that he still had a cube of metal held in his hands above his head when Kim had fired. Needless to say, the thing got too hot for him to handle and he proceeded to release his grip quickly, only to receive a flying Kim foot to the face. He never stood a chance.

"And that, ladies and gentlemen, is a hot potato." Kim smiled as she admired her handiwork."

"Uh, Kim. If you're done out there now would be a great time to get me out of here."

"Oops, sorry Ron." The redhead yelled out as she ran to the control panel to figure out which control put the machine in reverse. Since there was none to be seen at present, Kim ran back over to the car crusher and vaulted the outer wall to land on the thick rim in order to peer inside. She found Ron looking like a wall hanging of some modern artist rendition of the running man…except in 3D. He was flattened as much as he could between the two walls, in a rather awkward but effective position. But now he was stuck in that position until Kim dragged him out of it. Kim couldn't help but giggle at the sight for a moment.

"So Ron, how's that slimming diet working out for you?"

"Ha ha, very funny KP. Now could you please, OUCH, get me out of her before I cramp up even more."

"Hang tight Ron, I'll get some rope to pull you out."

After locating come extra rope, Kim looped the strands several times underneath Ron's arms in order to decrease the shock on his shoulders. Rufus had since woken up and relocated himself in Ron's leg pocket and was now snoozing lightly due to a molerat sized headache.

"Ron, this is going to hurt a bit…okay…a lot." Kim's voice held worried undertones.

"Don't sweat it Kimila. I'm just glad I'll be out soon. Besides, the Ronster can handle a little pain for the time being." Plastering his goofy grin on his face, he warmed Kim's heart enough for her to nod her acknowledgement.

"Alright Ron, hang tight in three, two, one…gnnnnnnnnn."

Kim had looped the rope around the crane chain, and chose to pull Ron out by hand. She figured it would hurt less if she controlled the tension, as the crane can't feel the tension and alter pressure in the pull. She cringed at Ron's groans of pain as he was worked loose of the cramped confines of the machine walls. Once he was free, Kim helped him to the floor and set him on his back.

"How do you feel Ron?"

"Like a couple of giant monkeys decided to play tub of war with me as the rope."

"Gorillas, Ron?"

"Gorillas, giant monkeys, they're all gross Kim!"

Kim could only shake her head and laugh at his antics. Even with mystical monkey power, Ron still had not gotten over his fears entirely. Chippy was one of the two exceptions to the rule, along with the monkey from the space station mission.

"Do you think you can move Ron?"

"Yeah, I think so. The pressure from the plates and position I was in relocated my shoulders. They still hurt like heck though."

"Sorry about making you go through that Ron. That was ferociously cool of you to do that to save us." Kim had on her cute face as she knelt by Ron's side.

"No big KP."

"Way big! And way big deserves a reward of equal measure." Kim had on her bedroom eyes, as Ron had read about, and he knew what was coming…well…sortof.

"Thanks Kmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…" Ron eased into the kiss once the shock wore off. Being the BFBF of Kim Possible certainly had its advantages. Since the Diablos mission and prom, things were looking up for the Ron man. He had the most bon-diggity girlfriend in the whole wide world, they were still out saving the world, and school had been getting better since he started applying himself. He started to figure out why Kim called him 'potential boy' now.

Breaking the kiss, due to a majorly annoying four beep tones, Kim grabbed the Kimmunicator and fired up Wade.

"Go Wade."

"You know, we could really use a hold button on that thing." Ron piped up after being stopped prematurely from enjoying his now most favourite activity in the whole wide world.

"It would be a though…" Kim grinned back at Ron.

"Guys, what are you talking about?"

"Nothing Wade, just fill us in."

"Alright. I have a ride en-route to pick you up. They'll be here in ten minutes. Oh, and don't worry about Dementor; G.J. picked him up after he had a failed attempt to fire up his latest creation."

"Spankin Wade, but how did G.J. know where to look?"

"Easy Kim. I was monitoring the lair from the G.J. infrared satellite. When Dementor split, I figured something went wrong and called in the cavalry. You guys need anything else?"

"Yeah, Wade, could you notify Mom and get her to meet us at the hospital to get Ron checked out?"

"Sure Kim, but what's up?"

"Ron dislocated his shoulders in order to get out of a serious bind we had gotten into."

"Ouch!" The young genius visibly cringed at this thought, "Are you okay Ron?"

"I'm good Wade, thanks. The arms are still throbbing pretty bad, but that's nothing some Bueno Nacho and a bit of video gameage wouldn't fix."

"Good to hear Ron. I'll let your Mom know what went on Kim. Catch you guys later."

"Later wade." The two teen heroes chorused as the KP logo came into view once again to replace the smiling face of their pre-pubescent computer wiz, Wade Load.

The two teen heroes smiled at each other and went back to some major spit swappage until their ride came and picked them up. The swelling on Ron's lips would go down…sooner or later.

"Well Ron, it looks like there's no permanent damage done. But you're going to have to stay away from the missions with Kimmie for a while and hit the gym. And no, Ron, that doesn't mean I think you're weak. When joints are dislocated it weakens the muscles around them for the next time unless they're rebuilt. You need to do some strengthening of your shoulders to make sure they're back up to par."

"Awwwww mannnnnnn! Can't I just…"

Ron's thoughts were interrupted by a dual puppy dog pout from mother and daughter of the Possible clan. His will to resist was instantly shattered, turned into cannon fodder, and shot into the nearest black hole…never to be seen again.

"Alright, alright, I'll stay off the missions for a while. How long do I need to stay out of commission."

Kim tugged at the ends of her shirt, "Ummmm, only four months?"

"FOUR MONTHS!" Ron couldn't believe his crappy luck, "That's like, the whole summer!"

"Look at it this way Ron, it's the end of the year and you'll be back in game shape at the end of the summer. It'll be seriously no big and we'll still be hangin' out when I'm not gone on missions. Besides, I called up Wade and he said that most summers there's not a lot of activity with the villains anyways. It's like they all go on holidays too."

"I guess so KP, but I don't know what I'm going to with all that free time."

"Come on Kids, you two can finish this conversation in the car on the way home. I left Jim and Tim with their father and I don't want those three turning the dishwasher into a tactical missile launcher again…that rocket fuel smell is so hard to get out of the house."

Ron sat in his room flicking through the various outrageous video sites on the net. His dad had finally sprung for high-speed and he was getting the most of his time with it. He needed an adrenaline kick, and it had only been a week since he had been put on medical leave from the missions. The last day of classes had been two days ago now. Kim and Ron's families got together for a traditional Stoppable-Possible gathering in the Possible's backyard for some seriously good times that centred around the barbeque. Of course, the Tweebs were causing trouble at the time, and Kim and Ron snuck off after a few hours and spent some quality time examining the cushioning on the couch in the treehouse. Needless to say, it made for quite the comfy make-out sessions.

"Come on, what's cool out there today? Wakeboarding, done it, skydiving, done too much of that with the bruises to prove it, rock climbing, I still haven't figured out that whole finger crimping thing Kim was trying to show me…"

Ron went down through a list of videos he saw and just shook his head. He couldn't believe that there were people out there crazier than Kim was, and they did it voluntarily, not for a mission. That being said, he did find it odd that he had started taking a liking to the rush the danger gave him. Even though he still screamed like a little girl most of the time, he felt so pumped after it was all over. Ron was getting better at controlling himself during the craziness too…if only a little bit.

'_I guess you become a bit like who you hang around with.' _Ron mused.

"Seen it; done it; hate it; ha….hang on a minute there."

Saying Ron was intrigued would be a bit of an understatement at the moment. On the screen flashed a group of normal teens performing what Ron would have thought impossible…even by Kim's standards the actions would be extremely dangerous. And yet, here were these guys and girls of all sizes and shapes completing these actions as if they were brushing their teeth or taking a walk through the park. As he watched the videos he noticed two distinct styles of movements. Maybe it was due to his enhanced mystical monkey senses or just dumb luck, but Ron Stoppable saw something that he liked and what he likes he does. Some of the runners were performing crazy flips and fantastical vaults of great style and flair, while the others caught Ron's attention the most. They kept everything looking so simple, yet efficient. Nothing was wasted on aesthetics; everything and every ounce of energy and momentum were used to move forward, over, under, or around an obstacle as fast and as smooth as possible. After watching Kim and Shego fight on missions along with his training at Yamanouchi and cheerleading, Ron could spot the difference between a good athlete and a great athlete…once the shock wore off of the initial find. It only took him four or five hours this time around, but he could tell that a few of these guys were light-years ahead of anyone else. They just oozed control, confidence, and a flow Ron attributed to a dancer…or water. (Ron's allowed to have his insightful moments now. Don't worry, he's still the goofy guy we all know and love.) It seemed like they never truly touched the obstacle, but went over it like a gust of wind or a stream of water over a rock.

Then the gears in Ron's brain really started to click. Bonus one, it would keep him out of trouble by keeping him occupied the whole summer. Bonus two, Ron could take better care of Kim on the missions. Bonus three, he wouldn't be defying Mrs. Dr. P's orders as such, as this stuff looked like it was going to push his muscles to the limit. So the decision was simple for Ron; He would go and hunt down these guys to teach him what they did. He couldn't just pick up the phone though and call them so he had to use the next best thing…ok, the better thing.

"Wade!"

"Hey, Ron. I heard about the hiatus on missions from Kim. Sorry to hear about it. What can I do you for?" The slightly less pudgy whiz kid of Team Possible flared up on Ron's computer screen. Ron's communicator (I refuse to use the term Ronunicator as it belongs to someone else and it just doesn't sound right.) was in the shop for the time being since Wade wanted to put a few new features into it.

"I need a solid Wade. What can you come up with on a Kenu Runn and Chase Dune?"

"Give me a sec there Ron." Wade began his montage of keyboard strokes that would have made Motzart proud…were they ivory keys of course.

"Got it! Kenu Runn, Canadian, urban messenger boy, former gymnastics student, and all around awesome video gamer. Chase Dunn, Irish, personal trainer and fitness coach, Bachelor Degree in Psychology, and apparently has a penchant for high fashion. Kenu is currently holed up in New York taking care of his messenger business, while Ms. Dunn is currently touring Europe and Asia on a shoestring budget. That's about all I've got for now Ron, unless you want me to get into their physical characteristics and all that."

"Naw, that's okay. Thanks Wade. Could you set me up a ride to New York and let Kim know that I'm taking a trip for the summer?"

"Your ride is en-route, but what should I tell Kim when she asks why you're leaving?"

"Just let her know that while I'm out of commission I'll be taking some time to appreciate places we only got to see on missions and get back in game shape. That's all you or Kim need to know at this time. I'll check in every Friday to let you guys know how I'm doing."

"Alright Ron, I trust you on this and I'll be holding you to your check in date, not to mention what Kim will do to you just because you're not going to be around. See you in a week then."

"Will do good buddy. The Ronster is out!"

Wade saluted to the screen before it blinked out, leaving Ron to chuckle at his friend's antics. Now then, it was time to pack, which could take a while considering he didn't have a clue what to bring. Ron pressed a few buttons on the computer to bring up a timer on the screen, a new feature Wade had installed to let the team know when their rides would be arriving. It looked as though Ron had a little under a half an hour to get ready and out to his front lawn. Ron couldn't help but smile at the thought that in 28min 35sec he would be on his way to not only getting back in shape and then some, but helping Kim out with the missions much more than he was able to at this point in time.

"Booyah!" Ron muttered quietly as he reached into his closet, hauled out a duffle bag, and packed one of his most prized possessions…the photo of Kim and himself kissing at the prom. Then came the rest of his gear: sneakers, shirts, pants, shorts, socks, Naruto boxers, athletic tape, heating balm, Naco coupons, and some much needed sunblock. (Never again would he get burned due to his fair skin.) Rufus threw in his own little suitcase and was dressed up in a flowered shirt and sunglasses and holding a mini-umbrella drink.

Twenty-Eight minutes later the hoverjet arrived on his front lawn. Yelling out a quick "Bye" To his parents and hugging his little sister, Ron bounded up the steps to the cockpit and settled in for a short flight to New York with Rufus in his pants pocket as usual. This was gonna be one hell of a trip…and he couldn't wait to get started.

Next time: Ron's musings during the flight. Why did he leave Kim hanging like that? Will she take it all right? Why the sudden compulsion to get better for the sake of the team? All questions will be answered in time. And Ron might just get a new look out of this story.

The next story I do will be based around a Ron and Shego pairing. I can't help it, but they are the bestest best couple to ever come to fruition in the FanFiction Universe. Any ideas for me anyone on this story, my Avatar story, or my upcoming Ron/Shego? Drop me a line.

Later,

Neal

P.S. I'm looking for possible songs to put into the story in different sections. I'm all about using songs I've never heard of before, but try to choose them with Ron in mind. This is what I have so far:

Not Listening – Papa Roach

Me against the world – Simple Plan

Over and Under – (I forget who this is by) 


	2. Arrival to the Big Apple

Ok, so maybe I won't get into Ron's musings. I'll get into KP's reaction a little later on, maybe next chapter. For now, I'll get with the introductions of at least one of our new characters. And we're going to assume that high school in KP land is just like university…a full 4 months off for summer. I realized I had said 4 months in the previous chapter so I guess I'll just roll with it.

* * *

Ron started awake as the plane touched down on the tarmac. This was one of the few flights he had been on that he didn't have to jump out of at 20,000 feet. Needless to say, Ron was one happy camper. Stretching, Ron sat up and muttered a strained, "Booyah." Apparently Rufus felt his master stirring, as he popped out of Ron's cargo pocket and stretched as well. The two were quite the pair, almost always in-sync with each other's moods and complimenting each other when they weren't. Ron was the first to come to full awareness, and took stock of his surroundings. The passengers on the plane were up and blocking the aisles, thumping their heads against the overhead bens as they attempted in vain to push their way out the door they had come in on…although they were trying to go all at once. To Ron they all looked like a bunch of lemmings, simply following each other's footsteps without thinking. This was one of the times Ron was thankful for his lazy attitude. He just sat there, taking it all in, until the aisles were nearly empty. Then, giving Rufus the signal to take cover, Ron stood up, grabbed his carry-on backpack and marched out the door with not a soul to bump into…smiling and waving goodbye to the attractive stewardess who had been so nice to him on the plane. He had even received a free tray of peanuts due to his happy and polite demeanour towards her. Rufus jumped up on his master's shoulders once he was half-way down the aircraft ramp and waved goodbye to the same stewardess in thanks for the extra peanuts Ron had been supplied with that found their way into his pocket-sized home. She fainted…instantly. Rufus shook his tiny head and darted back into the safety of the cargo pocket. The pocket-sized pal of Ronald Stoppable curled up and promptly went for a after-nap nap; for one can never have too many naps, right?

Our buddy Ron followed the general flow of traffic to the baggage claim, picking up a bottle of water on the way. Those peanuts were great but they never did serve enough beverages on those flights, even in first class. Half the bottle was already gone by the time he reached where his bag would supposedly come off the belt and the rest promptly followed in the waiting period following. Once his oversized and under-stuffed duffle bag was in his possession, Ron turned on his heel and…

Fell flat on his butt!

Ron had run into something big, hard, and downright scary looking. From the ground, the security guard looked just like the mutant Juggernaught in sheer size. The glare from the lights picked up on the badge, pepper spray, cuffs, keys, and the pistol. Ron couldn't see the man's face due to the lights shining down directly above him, obscuring the visage in shadow.

"Are you Ronald Dean Stoppable?" The voice boomed like thunder, and rolled like the great waves of the sea. It was powerful, and commanded respect…even more than Mr. Barkin!

Clearing his throat, Ron nodded dumbly and mouthed an answer that came out as a mere squeak due to his nerves. He promptly covered his mouth with both his hands and just stared up at the mountain of a man looming over him. The guard bent over and grabbed Ron by the two shoulders and flung the terrified boy to his feet. If the goons hired by Drakken and Dementor were this strong, Ron feared he would have been dead long ago.

Ron's visage began to clear up, revealing the guard's jaw line. The man was definitely one of the blackest men he had ever seen. He had the skin of black velvet…without the sheen. A strange thought cam into Ron's head at the that moment…

'_He's got his own personal ninja suit…without the suit!_'

"Well then Mr. Stoppable, I believe that we have a problem here." This snapped Ron out of his self-induced haze, as he wondered what went wrong. Blubbering incoherently and wheezing up a fog, Ron began to sweat and wring his hands through his hair as the guard crouched down and picked up his duffle bag and said,

"Your ride is waiting outside and you're not on it!"

Ron's eyes popped wide and his body stiffened. '_What did that guy just say?_' His thoughts were interrupted by booming laughter and a slap on the backpack that nearly toppled him again. Looking up from his semi-crouched position, all Ron could see were pearly whites on a sea of blackness. The security guard was in full-blown laughter now.

"Oh, my…ha ha ha…little Wade was right. The look on your face was worth the effort. He he he ha ha ha!" Clearing up his voice and slinging his free arm over Ron's shoulder, effectively pulling him along with him as he began striding down the corridor he continued, "The name's Cecil Weit, I'm a cousin on Wade's. He pulled this prank on you at the last minute just to get back at you for what a certain Kim person will do to him for some reason I sure as heck don't know. It must have something to do with you being here, but I'm not one to pry."

"Ummm…thanks?" Ron said hesitantly as he found his voice upon hitting the open air.

"Don't mention it little dude." Cecil rumbled as he dropped Ron's hefty duffly bag in the trunk like it was a pair of rolled up socks going into the laundry cute. "Just get in this here car and the driver will take you where you need to go. Oh, and before I forget, Wade asked me to give you this printout. Later man, and good luck!" Ron waved to the big man and shook his head in disbelief as he pocketed the message for now.

"Note to self; do not get on Wade's bad side until after April fools day next year." If this was a joke just for fun, Ron would hate to see what the young genius could and would do on an actual day of pranking.

Tossing his backpack in the rear window of the car before him, Ron paused and took a look at the car he was about to ride in. He was so stunned before that he just didn't notice the sheer beauty of it. The car was a 1997 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, pimped out with custom rally wheels, a high-downforce spoiler, ceramic discs on all four wheels, and customized set of side-skirts dropping the profile down just an inch or two, and a set of performance tyres to hug the road. The car was sprayed in a robust copper metallic base-paint with blue metallic highlights around the flared wheel wells and trim areas. The windows were ever so lightly tinted in silver so when the light hit just right you could swear you were looking in a mirror, but at the wrong angle it was as clear as regular. Ron could only stare and grin at the ride he was about to receive…even if it wasn't his car. Pulling open the door and sliding into the front seat, Ron came face to face with a driver just as unique as the car. The driver was definitely of Rastafarian heritage, but had some city style to him. The Jamaican had the traditional dreadlocks, but slightly more groomed looking and shorter. He was wearing a long-sleeved grey tee under a short-sleeved orange tee with the phrase "Ya Mon!" on the front. As far as Ron could tell, the driver wore a pair of faded designer jeans and some red and white driving shoes. On his left wrist was a slick-looking watch with a silver face and black straps, and his right wrist was adorned with a set of leather bracelets. To complete the ensemble, the driver wore a set of orange sports-wrap sunglasses. Needless to say, Ron's transporter was one slick looking dude.

"Hey mon…ya must be Ron. Da name's Alex, mon. Some little dude named Wade told me to pick you up here."

Ron shook his driver's hand, "Thanks Alex, and yep, I'm Ron. Sweet ride, by the way."

"Ya haven't seen nuttin' yet, mon. Strap in and hold on to yer knee-knees 'cause dis ting gonna be goin' real fast real soon."

Ron nodded, grabbing the four-point harness and slipping it over his head. Tightening the straps, he looked expectantly over at his driver. Alex was adjusting a few dials on the dashboard, checking his mirrors, and tightening his own harness. Reaching into the centre column compartment, Alex pulled out a set of open-knuckled driving gloves. Ron watched as Alex made sure the gloves fit his hands perfectly, flexing his hands.

'_This guy must be seriouuuuuuuuuuu…ooooooooohhhhhhhhhh maaaaaaaannnnnnnnnn!_'

Ron couldn't even get through his thoughts before his face was distorted due to the G-Forces. Alex had switched on the sound system with the push of a button, shifted the car into gear, and slammed the gas down in a matter of three seconds. The tyres left their mark on the asphalt as the turbocharged car swept through its first three gears and out of the parking lot. All that could be heard were the sounds of a maniacal "Booyah!" and the muffled lyrics to Atreyu's "Ex's and Oh's".

* * *

An adrenaline pumping 40 minutes later and Ron and Alex pulled up to a shop in the centre of the business district downtown New York. Ron was still trying to catch his breath from the driving of Alex. This guy was clearly 90 skill, and 10 just plain crazy! Some of the manoeuvres he pulled off weaving through traffic and bombing down side streets were the stuff Ron used to think only possible in movies. They even performed a couple of face melting power slides through busy intersections to get through the lights on time and into the flow of traffic. Ron looked over at Alex to see his lips moving but no sound coming out.

'_Strange…_' Ron thought…until Alex slapped him over the back of his head to snap him out of the daze he was in.

"Ya here mon! Dis be da place ya friend Wade told me ta bring ya to."

"Oh, great stuff." Ron stuttered out as he came back to the real world and rubbed the stinging part of his head, "How much do I owe you?"

Alex waved it off. "Forget it mon. Wade already got dat covered. He said if I took you on the craziest ride ya ever had, he would pay me double what my fare usually is…and cover the speeding tickets if we got dem."

Ron just nodded in understanding and put away his wallet. Wade just had another strike against him when Ron got back at the end of the summer. Hopping out of the car, Ron grabbed his backpack and his duffle bag, setting them down on the sidewalk. Waving goodbye and giving Alex his thanks, Ron turned around to see the building that stood out the most in the district. The building was small, almost miniscule. It was tucked in between two skyscrapers and stood only three floors tall. The front was covered was some rather tasteful graffiti art and tinted windows. The brushed steel signage over the front windows read "Kenu Runn, Messenger Service".

"I'm guessing this is the place Rufus." Patting his pocket, Rufus came skittering out to land on Ron's shoulder. The little dude had just woken up, again. Ron couldn't understand how Rufus could sleep through the ride they had just been put through. In any case, the little dude took one look at the building and said,

"Hc, Cool!"

"You said it little dude. Shall we?" Ron made an exaggerated motion with his arm and Rufus clapped his tiny paws and squeaked out an "OK!". Grabbing his bags, Ron walked over to the front door and pushed his way inside. He was met with a strange sight indeed. Not only were there no offices or chairs, but there were simply no people to speak of. The only furniture on the black-cushioned floors (like gym floors) was a lone desk with a Wade-like set-up of monitors. Behind the desk sat a small, squirrelly little girl with coke bottle glasses and a big slurpster present. '_Must be a geek thing._' Ron thought. The girl certainly acted like she knew what she was doing though, as her hands flicked back and forth between three different keyboards and switch-panels with the dexterity of a surgeon. Her sky-blue eyes didn't even appear to be looking at anything in particular as her chair swivelled and turned with her movements. Her white hoodie was pulled up, so Ron couldn't tell what color her hair was at present. She wore a simple pair of jeans Ron could see from under the desk and through the wires that sunk into a hole in the floor. Her sneakers were a set of black converse all-stars, dancing around the floor as she shifted her body position on this strange ball-like chair. It looked like an exercise ball on a swivel base. To Ron, it looked like something totally fun that could potentially hurt him. He'd ask for a try…later. Marching up to the desk, avoiding the piles of boxes that adorned the floor and shelving along the walls, Ron cleared his throat.

"Excuse me miss, is Mr. Runn around?"

Looking up briefly from her desk before losing herself behind a monitor again, the lady smiled and said, "He'll be back in five minutes. If you're Ron, you can go right on upstairs and wait for him there. Tell him Penny sent you."

"Uh, thanks Penny." Ron slipped out. He had to hand it to Wade, the guy certainly knew how to set up trips. Ron still thought that Wade should go into the travel business, but…to each their own! Ron grabbed his bags and took a left to climb the stairs to the next floor. He noticed that the walls were covered in graffiti art. There were tagger names, caricature drawings, and just some plain cool drawings.

"Rufus, I don't think we're in Middleton any more."

"Uh huh, uh huh!" Rufus nodded from his vantage point atop Ron's shoulder.

Rounding the top of the stairs, Ron was treated to a sight that would have made Kim drool...

"Woa!"

Ron had come upon the absolute most elaborate and strange gymnasium he had ever seen. The entire floor was one big gym…sorta. There was some sort of hard rubberized flooring as a base surface, black and grey at what Ron estimated at 1-foot intervals. But that wasn't the strange part to Ron. That kind of flooring could be found in almost any gym. What intrigued Ron was the equipment…or lack of conventional equipment at least. There were pommel horses and single bars down one line of the room. Everything looked adjustable and mobile to a degree. There were no mats or springboards though to be seen. The middle of the room was scattered with scrap metal? Yeah, it was pretty much scrap metal. The structures, for lack of a better word, all held a different shape. Some were flattened to the floor with jagged edges sticking up, while others still were giant monoliths of steel with plenty of holes in them. Some holes looked like they could fit a person through, while others not even Rufus could fit in. Ron kicked the closest one to him, and found out that the steel must have weighed a ton…literally! The thing didn't move an inch. Nursing his injured foot, Ron moved to the far side of the room and found skipping ropes (at least that was recognizable), some light sit-up mats, a speed and agility bag (the one hung from the roof and the one on a set of elastics), and a very strange set of weights. Upon closer inspection Ron noted that the weights looked like cannonballs with handles welded to the top. They ranged in size from the markings Ron saw to weigh anywhere from 18lbs to 108lbs. There was a pair of each weight size lined up one behind the other on the floor against the wall to form a ramp-like structure. The wall they were lined up against was lined with full-length mirrors reaching from floor to ceiling. Moving away from the equipment Ron couldn't identify or understand, Ron took note of the rest of the room. The other three walls without mirrors all had closets in them that had padlocks on them. The walls were a robust sunrise colour, and the roof was a deep-sea blue, the kind you see at a few hundred feet below the surface. Recessed pot-lighting illuminated the room brightly, aided by a two picture windows facing out into the street. There was a sophisticated electronics panel embedded in the wall across from the stairwell (Ron's left as he came up the stairs. Left is the rear of the building, right would be the front, straight ahead would be to the right side of the building). It looked important, being unadorned by any labelling and held a copious amount of buttons and a blank eight-inch screen. Ron was finally starting to learn not to touch people's stuff without asking first. He had one too many run ins with things that could hurt him…badly! One thing Ron did note as strange though, is that save for the windows, Ron couldn't see an exit to the top floor. There were three floors on this building when Ron walked in, but now he had nothing?

'_Strange._' Ron surmised, but let it slip his mind since there was no one around to answer his questions at present. Plopping himself down on one of the thin mats in front of the mirror wall, after placing his bags in the nearby corner, Ron hauled his music player out of his pocket and chilled out listening to some tunage. Rufus pulled out his own set of tiny earplugs, scrambling onto Ron's chest where he had laid the music device after lying down on the mat, and proceeded to plug in. The player was one of a kind, as Wade had cooked it up. The thing was practically bombproof (some new metal alloy Wade was working on) and used a touch-screen interface (think the new Samsung players). The player was red and with black piping around the edges and blue lighting for the screen. Wade had designed it to be pretty much every kind of weather proof, and be able to play any type of file available. As it stood, there were over 200gigs of space on the 4-5 inch device (really skinny like the Samsung ones. I had to use that design, because I just got myself one. All ownership goes to Samsung for the idea.) and Ron had put videos, pictures, music, and simply data files on the thing. It could be plugged into nearly any port or device, and acted as an emergency beacon when needed. Even the headphones were moulded to Ron's ear so they could block out noise when needed and would never fall out unless the chord was disengaged using a secret switch Ron had requested. It was like Ron's own personal light-sabre. Ron eventually just drifted off into his own little world to await the arrival of the dude Runn, who he would hope would train him up.

A little smile played across Ron's face as he thought of how he would surprise Kim when he checked in and even more so when he got back home.

"Booyah!" he whispered as he tapped his foot in the air to the beat of the music.

* * *

Alrighty then people! Another one finished. We will get to meet Mr. Runn soon enough and yes, Ron will be going through hell and back. He'll be spending two months with Dunn and two months with Runn (in reverse order of course) before he gets to go home to KP. She might get a chance to visit him, but maybe not. (I like being evil.) In any case, let me know what's up and until next time Stoppable Fans…Booyahahahahaha!

Neal


	3. Welcome to Hell: Day 1

Ok Everyone, I'm back in action…at least for a little while. Between races and work and the report I completed recently, I've been a tad busy. Now I can finally get back to my two stories. I have a concept for a third, a RonxShego game crossover. I won't release the name of the game just yet…I really want to pull this topic out before someone else tries to do the same. In any case, here's the next installment of 'Run Stoppable'. A note to all the readers, I know nothing about New York, so I'm going to steer clear about any specifics, so just go with it. Besides this is the KP universe, so I can make it into any city I damn well want to! Nyah! Just so you guys know as well, I'm making the assumption that this is taking place before the final year…so somewhere between Eric and season 4. Ron will be slightly OOC when he gets home as I plan on making him a little better in certain areas of development than what he is in season 4. I'll make it clear right now though, he's still not going to be all-powerful. In fact, this story may just explain all of Ron's mad skills in the 4th season.

Of course, I own nothing, yada yada.

* * *

After going through the first five songs, some of which that were over ten minutes each in length, Ron began to get…well…Ronish.

Ronish – The insurmountable amount of fidgeting that only Ron Stoppable can accomplish.

Needless to say, all of Kenu's stuff would soon feel the wrath of Ron Stoppable.

Sitting up, catching Rufus in the process who had let out a squeak of protest as he tumbled haphazardly off his master's chest from a majorly sweet chillaxin' session, Ron yawned, stretched, and clambered to his feet with Rufus in one hand and his media player in the other.

"Sorry little buddy." Ron proceeded to apologize as he disconnected his own headphones and set Rufus down on the rubberized flooring so the little guy could resume his nap/musical montage.

"Hnk, 'sokay!" Rufus proceeded to curl up in a ball, nodding his tiny head to the beat of Disciple's _Shine Down_. Ron could only grin; Rufus never was one to hold a grudge for very long…well…except for that Eric synthodrone and most of Ron and Kim's enemies.

Ron stretched out his legs with a few crouching side to side movements with his hands on his knees for stabilization. Still crouching, Ron brought his feet together into a pushup position. Driving his hips to the floor, Ron stretched out his back in the cat position. A few satisfying pops later, Ron walked his hands back so his head was nearly touching his feet. Going on missions, battling monkey ninjas and synthodrones, and training at a secret ninja camp tends to instil the need for flexibility in any man…Ron included. Straightening back up slowly, Ron worked his shoulders in circles, rotating his wrists at the same time. Cringing at a slight twinge in the right shoulder, Ron moved to rotating his neck around and around while rotating his upper body side to side. One final pop for his knuckles of Ron's left hand, and Ron was ready to go…well…almost ready to go. Reaching into his bag, Ron shifted around a few items until he found what he was looking for…his heat-balm. With that last twinge of his shoulder still in his mind, Ron liberally applied the stinking stuff over the offending painful area. He didn't need himself getting any more injured until he got home to Kim. The familiar tingling and burning sensation of the medicated rub, coupled with the strong smells clearing out his nostrils brought comfort to the young world saving teenager. This ninja balm was kickass! He would have to compliment the master lunch lady on this stuff next time he visited…and trade recipes. His tuna rolls just didn't quite come out the same without her help.

Glancing down at his little buddy one last time, Ron let a whisper of a smile lift the corner of his mouth. Since Kenu wasn't here, it was time to work this body out!

* * *

Kenu Runn was beyond peeved at this moment. He had all right to be peeved as well, as this day just couldn't get any worse…it simply wasn't possible. Waking up in the morning, he had not only found that he couldn't find his favourite shirt, but also that he was all out of milk. There went his morning right off the bat. But it's not like that hasn't happened before, so he shrugged it off, grabbed an apple instead and pulled on a technical hooded fleece before moving to open up his window and leave for work. Doors are so over-rated. And karma decided to bite back hard for something he did in a previous life once again, as Kenu found his window sill was covered in fresh 'Pidgeon poo'. Snorting in disgust, Kenu grabbed some rags and laid them over the mess so at least he could get to work with at least some of his dignity in tact. Sidling over the edge, clinging to the windowsill in the process, Kenu went through his daily ritual…that in his case was a 180-degree spin and leap to the light pole six feet away where he would slide down to land in front of his shop. What a wonderful invention these multi-level structures were. Finally, something was going right, as Kenu made it all the way down to the street without so much as a scratch, and with his apple still clenched in his mouth that he had hastily stuffed there when he literally went out on a ledge. Spinning to face his shop, Kenu walked up to his door, placing his hand lightly on it and expected it to open. When his face met tempered glass, Kenu just knew that he should have stayed in bed. The rest of his day took much of the same direction. Somehow, all of his usual routes were either inexplicably blocked, in use, or just plain dangerous even for a 'runner' of his calibre. Due to that fact, he was regularly late to all of his stops. Because he was late, his fees were cut in half, as is his policy. Finally, he was berated by a few of his customers that apparently had just as bad a morning as he had and thereby chose to take it out on him. Then, as he was making his way back home, he found there was a massive accident that he was halted by, having to go a few blocks out of his way in either direction. And just to add one last thing, a new cop on the police force who didn't know who he was or what he did had stopped him for his 'trespassing' and kept him an extra fifteen minutes until he had confirmation from the head office as to who this guy was. Kenu was definitely going to have a talk with that Police Sergeant involved in training the new cadets, considering all the favours he had done for his department over the years. Therefore, all things considered, this was not a good day.

However, Kenu could now relax a little as he stepped through the front doors of his office. Penny was just putting on her jacket as he pulled off his shoes, allowing his feet to breathe.

"Hey Penny. Thanks for hanging around until I got back and for all the help with the routes today. I swear I'd be even later if you haven't radioed me about that construction job being done on 5th and main."

Cracking a piece of gum in her mouth, "Bah, no worries Mr. Runn. I'm just doing my thing." She grinned at the proprietor of the shop, knowing full well that he'd be lost without her to take care of all the logistics of the operation.

Kenu just shook his head. "Penny, you are one of a kind. Get outta here you crazy kid."

"You got it!" Penny chirped as a car horn beeped, undoubtedly her ride. "Oh, and just so you know, Mr. Stoppable is upstairs to see you."

"You mean that kid that's going to be helping out here for a while? Who was the guy that contacted us…?"

"Wade. Yeah, he's the guy alright. Looks kinda goofy right now, but maybe he'll be okay. I still don't know what possessed you to take him on at this time of the year…it being our busiest season due to the weather."

"You'll see Penny. He'll be running circles around the rest of the competition out there before you know it. Now get out before I have to kick you out." Kenu added with a slight chuckle in his voice.

"Aye aye, Cap'n Runn. See you Monday." With that, Penny closed the door and the only other sound in the dusking air was that of the taxi's engine roaring to life, causing the tires to join in the cacophony of sound that shook the windows of his shop.

'_That damn Alex. He's gonna get that poor girl killed one of these days. Well, if she loves him, I guess it can't be helped.'_

Pulling down the zipper on his fleece and pulling back the hood, Kenu pushed his red-lensed sunglasses up into his short mass of dark hair to act as a faux hair band of sorts. He couldn't wait to get upstairs to his room and pull this sweaty crap off. When you tend to run the equivalent of a marathon a day over obstacles ranging from simple stairs to sheer walls, you tend to work up a bit of a shine. Marching up over the stairs, pulling off his fingerless gloves as he went, Kenu couldn't wait to see what his new piece of fresh meat looked like.

'_Thump_'

He paused for a second. '_The kid must have gotten restless._'

Continuing up over the stairs, but much more stealthily this time, Kenu finally reached the top and was witness to the first real exciting thing he's seen all day.

This Ron Stoppable character from Middleton Colorado, or so he was told, was going wild with the speed bag in movement he himself had never seen done without wires. Aside from the fact that the guy looked like he had a bluish light emitting ever-so-faintly from every strike point of contact, he looked pretty average for a teenager. The blond was dressed in a simple pair of khaki pants, with a rather large looking belt holding then to his slender frame. He went bare footed, which pleased Kenu greatly as it was his preferred choice of foot care. Strong feet always equal a strong body, and a damn fast runner in Kenu's opinion. The boy…no…young man, had a simple grey tee pulled over his shoulders that was currently being put to a fluid-retention test due to the amount of sweat that was soaked into it. There was hardly a dry spot on it!

'_Well, at least I know he can work hard when he needs to. This Wade guy warned me he was a bit of a slacker. Maybe he just has to be properly motivated…_'

Back to the moment at hand, Ron was in full monkey-fu mode with the speed bag. Backfirst flowed into roundhouse, roundhouse into handstand, handstand into barrage-kicking (Rock Lee inspired), and then flip up to dodge the oncoming projectile. Ron mixed it up with the bag using flips, evasions, rolls, palm strikes, shin kicks, and everything else under the sun. The man was a freaking machine, looking like water and yet striking like a freight train.

'_Well this certainly makes things a little more…_'

Kenu never finished that thought, as Ron finally noticed he was being watched, thereby turning his head and losing his focus. Now, if anyone knows how hard it is to use a spring-loaded speed bag (elastics on the bottom and top with a small bag in the centre) realizes what happens when you forget to move out of the way. Ron was re-acquainted with the bag when it met his face…and then he was re-acquainted with the floor in a similar manner.

'…_interesting._' Kenu couldn't help but let out a groan and a chuckle at the young blonde's sheet exposition of skills followed by a rather disheartening lack of focus under simple distractions. Walking over to stand over his new 'employee', Kenu stared down into blue eyes that slowly faded into brown. '_Now that's a little weird._'

"You alright there Ron?"

"Huh…oh, uh, yeah, no problem…ummm…"

"Kenu Runn, pleasure to meet you." Ron shook his hand as well as getting pulled to his feet with surprising force in the process.

'_This guy's a lot stronger than what he looks._' Ron mused as he moved to change his shirt with something warmer and dryer.

This was the first chance he had to take a good look at Kenu Runn, the man he would be learning from for the next three and a half months…if he accepted Ron in of course. Kenu stood about 5 foot 7, an inch or two above Ron's current height. His hair was so dark that it looked raven in colour even though a brown sheen was visible when light was directly on it. The man's goatee, however, was quite another story. It was red, really red, almost like a certain red-head he knew, except there were a few darker shades of red and some browns as well. Kenu was just full of oddities, as was his facial complexion and eye colour. His face was covered with freckles, and not just three on each cheek like Ron, oh no! Kenu's face was absolutely covered in them, his hands and arms too. Kenu's skin was also very white, not as much as Ron's, but still pretty pale. Though Ron knew Kenu couldn't be more than 25 years of age, his benefactor held himself much like a more mature individual. His hair was cut extremely short in a near buzz-cut, with his forehead prominently exposed due to the widow's peak that adorned Kenu's head. Draped across his shoulders was a fitted deep green technical fleece with a hood that was pulled back. There was a strange logo on the left breast and right arm that Ron would have to ask about later. It looked like a very stylized set of compass directions (NSEW). This guy Kenu also wore some rather unique pants. They were bright neon greenish-yellow with black knee patches or an extremely durable looking material. The three-quarter-length pants looked baggy enough for movement in the right places, yet tight enough to not get in the way. At the moment, Kenu had on no socks or shoes, yet Ron could see the faint outlines of a sock tan. Kenu's right wrist had two bracelets, one silver and one made of wooden beads, like a rosary. Kenu's left wrist was covered in this miniature computer apparatus that ran about the length of three regular watches and definitely twice as thick. It was currently beeping softly in a regular, slow cadence. Other than that, Kenu merely held a pair of well worn and re-stitched black fingerless gloves in his left hand. From what Ron felt when Kenu pulled him up from the floor, he definitely didn't need them as his hands felt like hard leather themselves due to the built-up calluses.

"So Ron, I hear you're here for a summer job," Kenu stated, but after noticing the shock on Ron's face, "or so Wade told me."

'_Wade, just wait till your next Birthday bash…_'

"Yeah, that's about right. As a bonus though, I need to get in better shape so I can…"

"Help the girlfriend save the world?" Kenu interrupted a very shocked Ron Stoppable, "Wade filled me in on the details. That's a pretty nasty injury to have your shoulders dislocated like that. But if you're willing to put the work into it, I think we can make a man out of you yet." Ron was about to give his retort when Kenu slapped him on the back, "Now come on. Grab your backpack, hand me the duffle and let's get moving."

"Right. Ummm, where are we going exactly? I never saw another room downstairs or up here. In fact, why does the stairway only go up this high?"

"So you've been paying attention. I'm impressed." Kenu grabbed the duffle that was tossed to him, slinging it across his body with the bag at his back. "Welcome to Messenger Service 101. First rule is: There's always a way to get where you need to go. Now follow me."

Ron watched as Kenu moved to the front windows of the shop, pushing one up and out of the way. With that he merely looked back at Ron, smiled, and took a run and jump headlong out the window.

Ron went bug-eyed, rushing to the edge of the window to see Kenu's battered body lying on the ground…or so he thought.

"Hey, eyes up here blondie!" The voice came from _above_ Ron's head, which quickly snapped up, eyes bugging out in shock. There was Kenu, standing on top of the light pole (the part that extends out horizontally) and looking as comfortable as he could be if standing on the ground. How he had gotten up there so fast was beyond Ron, and his thoughts could not dwell on the matter as he was so rudely interrupted by Kenu's projecting voice, "So are you coming up or do I have to break out the ladder set?"

Normally, Ron would have said something like "Yes please," but then he remembered what he was here for and his features hardened as he called out, "Sure thing, be right with you." Pacing back from the open window a few meters, Ron checked his backpack straps and his cargo pocket before sprinting toward the window and screaming as he leapt out towards the light pole that just seemed so far away…I mean, it was the full width of the sidewalk away. Stretching, reaching out until his hands impacted the cold steel, Ron hung on for all he was worth, wrapping his legs around for added support. The feeling of vertigo and weightlessness quickly draining from his body, Ron started working his way up the pole.

'_I can't believe he actually did it. Nobody starts off that quick, and just jumps out. I guess being a world-saving teen kinda helps with the adrenaline junkie complex needed for this line of work. Maybe some of that martial arts focus kicked in too. As I said before, very interesting, indeed._'

Reaching the top, Ron pulled his arms over the top, only to watch Kenu perform a two footed jump, grabbing onto a round bar embedded laterally into the brickwork just underneath the window of the third floor. He reached up, pushed open the window, and pulled himself up and into the darkened room. Groaning to himself, Ron knew what he had to do if he wanted to get better for Kim…and himself.

"Hold on a second Ron, I'll get the bridge for you…" Kenu trailed off as he heard a battle cry and a thump on the side of the building. Looking out the window and down over the edge, Kenu only saw a head of blond hair pulling itself up over the window ledge. "You are one crazy bastard, you know that Stoppable." Grabbing the blonde's pack Kenu dragged one scared Ronald Stoppable into the third floor…apartment?

"Come on Ron, it looks like you could use a cup of coffee." Kenu stated as he walked to the kitchen, Ron still lying on the floor heaving for breath. The only thoughts going through Ron's mind before he blacked out was '_I am so dead!'_

* * *

So how was that for another installment of Run Stoppable. I pulled this together in one session, but it was the only time I've had to myself in the last two months. Catcha later everyone, and if you've got any landmarks for me (pictures or descriptions please) or some cool architecture I can use, or just any ideas whatsoever, give me a shout.

Cheers,

Neal


	4. First Contract

Hi everyone, hope you enjoyed the last chapter. This one a little shorter, but again I just pulled it together in a couple of hours. Gotta go, sleeptime.

Cheers,

I don't own anything, blah!

* * *

You know that level of consciousness between sleep and wakefulness, where every part of your body just feels so nice and tingly, and you just want to curl back up into whatever is wrapped around you at the time? Your eyes flutter open, greeting the morning sun in its zenith, praising whatever deity you believe in for the chance to live another day…

'**SPLASH**'

Apparently, Kenu never heard of that, nor did he believe in the phrase, 'Let sleeping dogs lie.' Poor Ronald…

"SPUT, GRGGGGLEEE, BLEGH, COUGH, COUGH, GNAH…WHAT IN THE NAME OF SWEET NACO WAS THAT FOR?" Ron had been brought back into the land of the living by the one and only Kenu Runn, extreme athlete, entrepreneur, and one mean hombre when it comes to getting up in the morning. Unlucky for Ron, Kenu had used up the last cup of anything caffeinated the prior day, so today was not his morning.

"Just shut it will ya; I've already got a headache from dragging your ass onto the couch last night, only to have you break my coffee table when you rolled off in the middle of the night, leaving me to clean that crap up." This entire spiel was punctuated every so often with a rap across the top of Ron's skull with Kenu's index finger knuckle.

"All right, all right. Sheesh." Ron muttered as he rubbed his tender skull, "You didn't have to dump that water on me though. I mean, can I help what I do when I'm asleep?"

"Meh, not my problem blondie. Now come on, you're gonna work off that coffee table you broke, and you're going to do it today!" Kenu stated as he slipped his head into a loose, black hoody with a white fleece lining.

"Uh…I guess that's ok. But what about…MMMMMFFFFFF" Ron's rant was interrupted rather abruptly with a shirt being stuffed into his mouth.

"No time for that now. Here, put this on, grab your shoes, and get down to ground level in five minutes. Otherwise, I won't be training you like your short, dark computer whiz wanted me to. Catcha down below." Kenu added as a final statement as he launched himself out the window headfirst, again.

Ron just sat there dumbstruck for a minute, with the shirt still stuffed in his mouth…though he quickly regained his cognitive faculties as he found he couldn't breathe. Ripping the black long-sleeved shirt out of his mouth and pulling it over his head, Ron took a quick look around while he straightened the shirt on his frame and reached for his sneakers. The room he was in was definitely the sitting room. As he stood with his back to the street (where the window he entered in was), this is what Ron saw. To his right was the couch he slept on last night. It was covered in a layer of midnight blue fabric that looked as if it absorbed the light and created the shadows. Averting his gaze from the depression his body had made the night prior, Ron noted the rest of the room. The walls were painted a robust shade of red, with the floors being a rough hardwood, unfinished but worn smooth through use. The ceiling was actually the most peculiar piece in the entirety of the room. It was painted in a massive mural of various graffiti and classical art stylings depicting everything from animals to vehicles to cityscapes and plant life. It looked as if a variety of artists had went wild on the ceiling, but somehow made one piece flow into the other. All in all, it was a magnificent piece of…erm…something? Moving right along, the rest of the room was fairly Spartan. A kitchen could be seen toward the back wall, hidden by partitions. There were some pictures on the wall of some gorgeous cityscapes and action shots of various athletes like Ron had seen in the videos that led him to this place. A couple large cushions served as chairs across from the couch, and there was an acoustic guitar standing in the left corner, next to the window Ron was backed up against. There was an indentation in the floor where a pretty decent-sized coffee table was (Ron cringed a little at the thought) and his backpack sat in the centre of the floor, along with his duffle bag, which he had just pulled some new socks out of. Pulling on the running shoes, Ron turned and faced his nemesis…the window.

"Come on Ronnie boy, nothing to it. Nothing at all…just a three story drop to hard pavement if I miss…grnnnnnnnn." Ron couldn't believe his luck; He just had to have picked the craziest guy to train with on the entire freaking planet. Movement in his pants pocket brought him back to the present. What poked his head out was non other than Rufus, the third main field member of team possible.

"Hey there buddy. Good night sleep?" Ron asked his long time companion as he scooped him up and set the sleepy rodent on his shoulder.

"Hnk, yep." Rufus chirped out as he rubbed the sleep away from his eyes.

"You ready for this Rufus?" Ron motioned to the window, "Because I don't think I am right now."

Rufus took a look at the window and simply said, "Kim!" That brought Ron around real fast.

"You're right Rufus, gotta do this for Kim, and for me." He watched as Rufus scurried back down into the pocked, giving him a miniature thumbs-up as he ducked away. "Alright Kenu, bring it on."

* * *

Kenu looked up to watch a blond and black streak yell "BOOOYAAAH!" as it flew toward the street lamp from the window above. It wrapped itself around the pole, sliding down like a fireman would, looking pretty graceful while doing so…until it hit the ground on its butt with a resounding. "Awwww maaaannnnnn!" Kenu merely shook his head, reached into his pocket, pressed a button on his keys and listened to the window above click shut. What would he do without remote windows?

"Well, I'll give you an 8 for the takeoff, 6 for the program, but ya get nothing for the landing." Kenu remarked as Ron clambered to his feet, brushing off his pants in the process. "Alright Ron, let's get moving. I've got some special orders today that I'm getting paid extra for, being the weekend and all, and you're gonna help."

"Uh, yeah, sure…" Ron scratched the back of his head as of habit, "But lets just act as if Rufus here didn't know what you did, OW, sorry Rufus." That remark earned him a nip on the leg from a perturbed naked mole rat.

"I'll explain as we go. We're in warm-up phase now, so keep up." Kenu motioned for Ron to follow as he took off at a light run toward the business centre a couple of blocks away. Ron struggled a little with the sudden movement in the morning, but caught up fairly easily. Kenu took in a breath and started to explain.

"All right Ron, here's the deal. I am a 'Runner' as we call ourselves in the business. No," Kenu interrupted at the quizzical look on Ron's face, "not that kind of runner. A runner in the delivery business." Noting the still perplexed look on his blond companion's face, Kenu decided to break it down to the bare essentials.

"Listen up, 'cause I'm only going to say this once. My business is delivery of information, small parcels, and messages of all sorts. Basically, if I can carry it and run at the same time, I'll take the job. As for the runner bit, let's put it this way. Media normally travels in a few different forms. First, there's the digital and analogue forms of phone, computers, satellite, etc. Second, there's the physical forms of carriage like voice, delivery trucks, and bike messengers. We, and that means you for the next few months, are Runners. We deliver anything on foot that we can handle. Now, you may be wondering why anyone in their right mind would hire someone that looks like me or you to 'run' something for them when they can simply send it through the wires or have it delivered by a truck or other service. The answer to this can be answered in one name: Wade Load. Yes I mean your computer buddy, though not in the way you might think. With everything being 'wired' as much as it is today, major business partners want to keep their secrets safe from guys like Wade who have his skills, with far less morals: AKA Hackers, Crackers, etc. We, as Runners, provide a secure service for the transportation of sensitive data because we are the best security system known to man. Safes can be cracked, data can be hacked, carriers can be mugged, but we…we are untouchable…for the most part. You see, as a Runner, we train ourselves in the ways of human locomotion long lost to the lazy generations of today. We learn how to climb, crawl, run, and traverse any obstacle that may get in our way. As such, we take routes of travel that very few other people can take. That's why I made that previous comment about 'for the most part'. As there has been more and more traffic and need for our services, there have been business competitors that will try to steal that information away. Which leads us to Rival Runners. These Runners oftentimes have less moral standards than we do, working for anyone with the right price point. Our job as ethical runners has become that much more dangerous with the onslaught of these wannabee's who think that just by hopping a few fences and taking down guys like us, they can make a quick dollar no matter what the ramifications. So I want you to know this up front Ron, we are dealing with guys that will be trying to hurt us, if not kill us for what we carry. We work strictly non-lethal, so we can't hurt them back as much as we'd like to, and therein goes our major advantage." Noting the shocked look on Ron's reddening face due to the strain, Kenu added, "But we do have a secret weapon. We train to be stronger, faster, and more agile than any others out there so that they never have a chance to touch us. Can't hurt what they can't catch, eh Ron? Ha ha ha ha."

Ron just ran on, a dumb look on his face. 'I thought I was gonna be here for training, not getting caught up in information warfare! Well, I guess things could be worse, Kenu could have me doing a full job right…'

"Alright! We're here. Time to get to work Ron." Kenu added, slowing to a stop in front of one of the major towers on the main block.

'…now. For the love of video games and Nacos, is my luck bad today or what?'

Allowing Ron to suck in a few breaths, Kenu continued. "Ok Ron, here's the deal."

"Up above our heads sits the president of Kakashi Enterprises. They deal in the most technologically advanced scarecrow systems in the world. That's all you need to know for now. I want you to get up to the 35th floor, state your name at the front desk, and the girl their will put you on to the right direction. Once you receive the package from the CEO, get your ass in gear and get back down here. The shirt you have on has a series of hidden pockets in the stomach and arms area for storing any disks you may receive. This guy won't give you anything bigger. He'll also give you a code, remember it as he won't repeat it a second time. This is our pay code for the job, and you owe me one."

Ron's eyes were spinning at all the information. This was sounding more and more like a covert operation with the US Military than a simply pickup and delivery.

"Oh, and one more think you need to take with you." Kenu reached to his left wrist, removing something and placing it in Ron's waiting hand. "This is my personal calling card. You are only the second person to be in possession of this. Without this on your _left wrist_," To which Ron quickly transferred and drew tight, "the security team will be dispatched and you will be forcibly removed from the premises. It's like a security feature, except it can't be replicated since it's one of a pair." Rolling back his right sleeve, displaying an identical bracelet for a brief moment.

The bracelet that was now strapped to Ron's left arm was constructed to look like a simple set of prayer beads, but a locking strap kept it tight and in place. The beads themselves were far heavier than they looked, but Ron shrugged it off as nothing.

"As an added incentive, if you complete this job one minute under the time limit that will be written on the package, I'll call it even for the coffee table. You ready, Ron?"

All Ron could do was nod, and hope he remembered everything.

"3…2…1…GO!" Kenu snapped as he watched the blond take off into the lobby, heading for the stairs. 'He he he. That spiel got the last one to do this for me to head for the stairs too. Maybe he'll realize later that there's an elevator in the building. Oh well, his loss. It'll just make it more interesting for the second half of the job." Kenu kept his thoughts to himself. 'Now, did I remember to tape Scooby Doo this morning…'

* * *

'I am going to murder that Kenu.'

Ron Stoppable was not a happy camper at present. Not only had he just ran up 32 flights of stairs, he had realized at floor 31 that there was an elevator in the building. 'Well, I guess I'll never make that mistake again.' Bonding up the last three flights, Ron stood for a minute, catching his breath in the stairwell. That out of the way, Ron straightened up, wiped his brow, and pulled open the door to the office that law in wait.

Straight ahead, Ron found his destination…the front desk. The raven-haired girl behind the oversized counter chatted merrily on the phone, scribbling something on a pad of paper Ron surmised as her shoulders twitched and her eyes were glued downward. Ron moved to approach the desk.

"…Yes, I've got that. No problem Mr. Sennishida, and you're very welcome. Bye!" The girl hung up the phone, setting down her pen in the process. Casting her brown eyes up to meet those of the blond before her, she chirped, "Hello, may I help you?"

"Um, yeah. I'm here for a package from the CEO. Mr. Runn told me to show you this." Ron held up his left arm and pulled back his sleeve to show the rosary.

The secretary immediately brightened further, if that was even possible, "Oh yes, excellent. Mr. Duncan is expecting you. Please, follow me and I'll take you to him." And with that the girl bounces out of her chair and down the hall with a stack of folders in her arms.

Following, Ron took in the rather bland hallways before him. Sure, there were the occasional poster and motivation saying, but other than that all he could see were closed office doors. Apparently the place was down for the weekend save for the secretary, one or two other businesspersons whose lights were on, and the CEO himself, Mr. Duncan. Stopping when the girl stopped outside an unassuming door, except for the name plate, Ron waited as she poked her head inside and said something that came across as a mumble. One her head returned to the hallway, she said, "Mr. Duncan will see you now. Have a good day." Before she bounced back down the hall and into another closed office.

Tugging at the neck of his shirt and swallowing once or twice, Ron pushed open the door and stepped inside.

"Ah, welcome sir. I didn't expect to see someone new, but so long as that set of beads checks out, we'll be okay." The portly businessman said. He was rather jolly looking, but had a distinct glimmer of the businessman shrewdness in his eye that left Ron with the impression that this guy was very intelligent. Balding head shining in the halogen lighting, Mr. Duncan walked over to Ron and grasped his hand. "As you probably know by now, I'm Mr. Duncan, CEO of Kakashi Enterprises."

"Ron Stoppable, high school student."

"Ha ha ha. Good to hear that you're still in school, Ronald. Not to be rude, but would you mind stepping over to my desk and we'll get down to business. I have another few items to take care of before I take the kids to soccer practice." Ron noted the picture frames that sat on Mr. Duncan's desk.

"Ronald, please put your left hand underneath this lamp and we'll be on our way." Ron did as he was instructed, and the beads shone a onyx black with cobalt orange lettering spelling out 'KENU RUNN DELIVERY' with the last bead being the same symbol on Kenu's shirts. Out of the light after a moment of scrutiny, the beads took on a normal wooden appearance once again. "Yep, it looks like you check out. This security system Kenu figured out is pure genius. Simple, yet effective, and entirely uncrackable."

"To get down to business, here's the package I need delivered." Mr. Dunn reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a jump drive. "This is to be delivered to the hands of Mr. Porter of Gotcha Enterprises on the 15th floor of the Heckleman building about a block away. He will state the passcode 'Olivander' when you introduce yourself as Kenu's messenger. If he does not, you will not give him the drive and you will immediately return it to me or destroy it. It is to be delivered in precisely…ten minutes from right now." Ron hit the start button on his watch and placed the jump drive in his torso pocket, sipping it closed so it blended with the natural seams of the fabric. "Your pay code is written here," Mr. Duncan showed Ron a series of letters and numbers on a piece of paper before burning it with his lighter. "I wish you luck Ronald, and don't let me down."

"Don't worry sir. You can count on me." Ron said as he shook hands with the CEO and took off out of the office like a bat out of hell.

* * *

"Hmmm, the blond bugger should be coming out in about 3, 2, 1…"

'_BANG_' The doors to the building flew open, casting out a gasping Ron Stoppable.

"Ahhhh, right on time Ron. You're doing good so far. Now, according to your watch I guess we've got…" Ron held up his wrist while he sucked air, "a little under eight minutes left. So where are we going?"

"Heckleman building, one block away, 15th floor, passcode mmmfl." Kenu had clamped his hand over the blonde's mouth.

"Never, NEVER, say the passcode. That's for you to know, and only you to know. After the job, then it doesn't matter so we can talk. Right then, let's get moving so we're not late…as I _hate_ being late." The maniacal look on Kenu's face was enough to shut Ron up from making any snide remarks. Ron could only hope and pray that he wasn't in over his head already.

Chances are though…he was.


	5. Mission 1: Complete

Hey FanFiction maniacs one and all, and to my loyal readers…thank you so much for sticking with me. I have some awesome ideas (well I think they're awesome) for my next two stories, both within the KP universe, or an AU still utilizing the main characters, their relationships, or maybe even what I think their relationships should have been. Who knows? All I can really tantalize you with is that at least one of the two has the best pairing of all time, in my opinion, being that of Ron Stoppable and Shego. (Can anyone tell me her real name, I can't remember if it was revealed in the show, possibly during the episode Stop Team Go?) Alrighty then, onwards and upwards, and back to the story at hand, where I'm gonna put Stoppable through some majorly painful weeks ahead.

Cheers,

* * *

_The maniacal look on Kenu's face was enough to shut Ron up from making any snide remarks. Ron could only hope and pray that he wasn't in over his head already._

_Chances are though…he was._

* * *

"Let's rock!" 

Normally, these words would be associated with a good time, maybe a party or a concert of sorts. You could go wild, enjoy yourself, and let out the stress of the day. They were not normally attributed to inducing gut wrenching fear. Nor, were these two simple words ever the cause of heart palpitations, excessive sweating, respiratory problems, dilation of blood vessels in the ocular region (eyes), and subconscious clenching of the jaw. This, ladies and gentlemen, was exactly what the phrase 'Let's Rock' did to Ronald Dean Stoppable at that point in time. But on a positive point…at least his legs were still working.

Now the reason why it's positive that his legs were still working turned out to be rather obvious to anyone watching the scene before them on that crisp Saturday morning in the downtown business sector of the most recent creation of New York. (It tended to be the target of many, many take over the world schemes.) Here was Ron Stoppable, teen hero, partner to Kim Possible, holder of the running-back record of Middleton High, was chasing a twenty-five year old at full sprint across the relatively empty streets all for the sake of transferring a piece of two-inch plastic and aluminum from the hands of one owner to another. Needless to say, it would have been rather funny if you didn't see the scared and confused look on Ron's face when he looked into the extremely insane-looking face of his instructor and boss for the next few months…

Kenu Runn!

This man was like a machine, an extremely well-oiled, tuned, calibrated, jacked-up… Oh who am I kidding! Kenu ran like a possessed by the essence of speed itself. It was like some freaky cross between a number of different animals. When Kenu started, he looked like a rabbit with his ballistic acceleration. A cheetah and a bull came to mind when the man picked up speed, as he just moved so fast and with so much purpose that he looked as though he could knock over a linebacker. And that was only moving across and down the main street in a basic run.

"So Ron," Kenu commented as if he had not felt the strain of the fast clip in the slightest, "I hear that you're quite the runner back on Middleton's football team?"

Ron didn't know how to answer that. "Um, gasp, well, heave, yeah, I guess, wheeze, so."

"You guess? Or do you know?" Kenu looked over his left shoulder to his blond running partner for the morning, "You have to pick one. This is lesson number two: Be decisive! If you screw up, there's only yourself to blame, then you pick yourself up and move on. Similarly, you only need your own sense of pride when you do something right, no one else's praise really matters."

Ron, dodging a trashcan that just seemed to pop out of nowhere with a sideways dodge, gave that some thought. First off, rule number two made some sense, but there was one problem with it in Ron's mind.

"Hey, Kenu." Ron said pulling up on Kenu's right side after slowing to dodge the trashcan, "What do you mean by that last piece, 'your own sense of pride'? Isn't pride one of those sin thingies?"

Kenu smirked a little, keeping his eyes forward just as Ron was, "You know, I get that every time I say it." Striding over a waist-level fold-out street sign without breaking stride, Kenu continued his explanation, "What I mean to say, is that don't let success go to your head, but also don't put yourself down. Believe in your own abilities, and they will serve you better than ever. Give yourself a proverbial 'pat on the back' sometimes, because if you don't, someone else might take you for granted. But above all, be real with yourself, never believe you're the best, yet always believe you can be the best. That's the key to that statement and lesson number two." Glancing over to see the questioning look on Ron's face, "You'll figure it out later. Right now, you need to concentrate on what's going on in the front and centre."

And of course, Ron must have at least one clumsy moment for every time he was graceful. He was graceful (mostly) earlier when exiting the house, and he was graceful when he dodged the garbage can. However, Ron was not near as graceful…when he broadsided a newsstand.

'WHAK'

The poor blond just hit the side wall, sprawled out like a spider-man wannabe, and slowly slid to the ground to a seated position, his arms behind him just enough to keep him semi-seated. Shaking his head lightly, he accepted the freckled hand that pulled him back to his feet.

"You brought that one on yourself, Ron. And you're the person I would think would know better than to take his 'eyes off the prize', so to speak."

"Actually, it's 'head in the game'," Ron quipped back, earning a satisfied grin from Kenu.

"Alright, I like that. A little confidence showing up there. Good stuff Ronster. But here's the question of the moment…how much time is left?"

"Oh, right. We've got…five minutes…FIVE MINUTES!" Ron's eyes bugged out. He may be no mathematician, but he damn well knew running, and they weren't even half way to their destination, considering they hadn't taken the turn in the road yet.

"So, you figured out that we've got less time than you thought, eh Ron?" Going to one knee to re-adjust his ankle-cut socks, Kenu continued without looking up, "So then I guess we're gonna have to get moving then eh?"

'Please don't smile, please don't smile, please don't….DAMMIT, he's smiling!' Ron was hoping that Kenu would just look serious and say run faster, but oh no, he had to have that stupid pain-promising grin on his face.

"Alright then Ron, let's hit it…off-road style!"

With that, the man in the fancy yellow pants and black long-sleeved top took one step back before kicking up the newsstand wall in order to get on top. Kenu turned, paused for a brief instant, and then launched a two-footed jump over the boarded-fence blocking the alleyway on the other side of the sidewalk, disappearing from Ron's site.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Ron couldn't believe his luck, only on his first job and he was already going to be late if he didn't make up time by following Kenu. On the one hand, his shoulders were already strained from the previous pole-climbing escapades within the last twelve hours. On the other hand, his job and summer training was on the line. And on the other hand again, if he tried to follow Kenu he'd probably get hurt at this point until his shoulders got a little more robust. What to do, what to…wasn't that three hands though...

"Hey Ron! Get your butt over here. You're going to be late, remember?"

With that, our blond teen hero ran toward the fence and hauled himself over as best he could. Dropping to the other side, he looked around the alleyway for Kenu…who of course was nowhere to be found.

"Oy!" The sound caused Ron to look up, finding the elusive Runner perched on a catwalk twenty feet up with no discernable means of access.

'How the hell does he do that?'

"Stoppable, I know I'm pushing you but listen up. Being a Runner is all about finding your own style and routes. You don't have to follow me exactly, just make sure you get to the other side of this alleyway and you'll be fine."

"What do you mean find your own route?" Ron bellowed back up to his crazy companion.

"Simple! Just get to the other end of this alleyway in one piece with the package in any possible way you can."

"It can't be that hard, I mean, it's just an all…ey…way…GROAN!"

Of course nothing can be simple or as it appears with Kenu. The alleyway chosen looked like an urbanized war zone. There were pieces of scaffolding set up, bricks and steel beams stowed haphazardly, trashcans and dumpsters blocking the route, and even pieces of furniture lying about.

"Alright Ron, I'll see you on the other side." With that, Kenu vaulted up to balance on one railing, running the length of it, and then launching off to grab an even higher piece of the unused fire escape, heading for the roof.

"Well, I guess here goes nothing!" Ron cracked his knuckles, popped his neck, and took off towards his first obstacle…

* * *

"I wonder where that boy got off to now?" Kenu mused as he crawled headfirst down set of water pipes, flipping over once he reached the street below to let his feet touch down. Kenu had reached the rooftops of the alleyway and stretched his legs a little with some basic vaulting drills before heading down to the ground floor. He figured that, this being Ron's first time in a sight-reading challenge, he would take a little while longer than if the route was planned before. It takes a long time to develop the kind of mental flexibility to simply make decisions on the… 

'BANG'

…fly? Kenu moved to the gateway blocking off this side of the alley, lifting the lock and stepping out of the way in the process. It was a good thing for Kenu, as a battered looking Ron Stoppable tumbled to the ground in a tangle of arms and legs. Looking his blond protégé over, Kenu noted that his clothes were ripped, particularly located around the vicinity of his pants. The boy had a few scraped, but nothing that couldn't be fixed with a few drops of iodine later on, and some bruises forming that would be worked out with a good ice-bath. Other than that, the teen looked slightly out of breath and dazed.

'_Well I'll be, he actually made it here with enough time left to go. Hn!'_

"Ron, you okay there buddy?" Groaning heavily, Ron gave Kenu the thumbs up. "Good, then get your butt off the ground and let's get moving. You've got just under two minutes to get across the street and upstairs to Mr. Porter's office on the 15th floor of the Heckleman building."

"Awwww man!" Ron proceeded to grunt and groan his way to his feet, checking for any aches and pains he would have to deal with later. Re-tying one of his laces, Ron nodded his head, signalling he was ready to move out.

"Alright Ron; 3, 2, 1, GO!" The blond shot like a dart from one sidewalk to the other, disappearing into the building's lobby in a flash.

Taking his time walking over to the front of the Heckleman building to be seated on one of the benches outside, Kenu mused to himself, "I wonder if I should have told Ron there's no elevator in this building?"

* * *

"I'm…gonna…kill…Kenu!" Ron managed to stutter out in between gasps of breath. Not only had he wasted precious time searching for an elevator in this building, but rounding the staircase of the 9th floor entrance, he now had 60 seconds to run the last 6 floors of the accursed building and get to Mr. Porter's office. 

10th floor…52 seconds remaining…

'Gasp' Ron's legs are burning. He can feel them aching with every set of steps he bounds over.

11th floor…44 seconds remaining…

The pain has spread from his legs to his lungs. Ron could feel his hearth ready to burst through his chest at any moment. The movie Aliens© spread through Ron's mind with disturbing detail.

12th floor…36 seconds remaining…

His head swam, breath coming in ragged gasps. The railing had become yet another means to pull his battered body up the incline of steel and tile flooring.

13th floor…28 seconds remaining…

The white walls of the stairwell blurred together. If not for the signs on each floor, Ron was sure he wouldn't know where he was. The pain had disappeared as well now…that couldn't be good.

14th floor…20 seconds remaining…

Rounding the corner a new set of energy fuelled by the desperation of his post filled the corporeal being of Ron Stoppable. He could do this…no…he would do this. There was no option to lose now.

15th floor…12 seconds remaining…

The doorway with the number 15 embossed on a brass plate gave way under the weight of his shoulder. Stumbling toward what looked like a desk, all Ron could get out was a strangled "Delivery" and "Porter." Fortunately, the lady behind the desk just shot a knowing grin and pointed her blessed hand down the nearest corridor. Ron would forever remember that hand, as it was the most beautiful thing to him at this moment.

8…7…6

Ron stumbled forward down the hallway as best his legs could go. It was by sheer will alone he was still standing…and maybe the conditioning he got from running away from goons the last eight years with Kim. Sliding down the hall with one shoulder dragging the wall, Ron sought out the elusive end to his travels.

5…4…3

The door! The glorious door, it was within his grasp now. With a last push of effort, screwing up his face in the process, Ron dove, slapping his knuckles against the wooden office door…or at least that was his intention if the door hadn't opened up at that instant.

"Ah…well then, you must be the messenger. And you're…right on time, with not a second to spare I might add. Well, then, dust yourself off and come in. I've got a meeting to be at in two minutes and we've got that long to get the information off of you."

The businessman moved back into his office, letting Ron stand up and fish the key out of his shirt pocket. Presenting his beads, Mr. Porter nodded his head in satisfaction upon checking the security protocol.

"Right then, now if you'll just hand over the package, we can take care of your payment as well."

Ron reached forward, about to give the package over to Mr. Porter when something struck him deep down in his core. He was supposed to do something here, but he just couldn't figure out…bingo!

"I'm sorry Mr. Porter, but I have to ask you for the security code." Ron brought his hand back to his person, clutching the key in a tight fist. He immediately noted how many steps it would take him to get to the door in a hurry should this deal go south. However, this was not to be the case in this instance.

CLAP, CLAP, CLAP, CLAP.

"Well done Mr. Stoppable. Well done indeed." The look of slight confusion on Ron's face was enough to trigger an explanation on the part of Mr. Porter. Mr. Duncan called me just after you walked out of his office and let me know that this was your first job. We like to place bets and see if any of the new runners will screw the security test up. Most do, but it looks like I was right this time. You, Mr. Stoppable, just won me a nice chunk of change in our ongoing 'Newbie-Pool.' As for the password, it's Olivander."

The tension washing from Ron's features, he gladly set the USB stick down on Mr. Porter's desk. Standing after a few deep breaths, Ron stood to leave the office.

"Mr. Stoppable, aren't you forgetting something?"

Ron counted on his fingers; passcode, package…payment! Slapping his forehead in frustration Ron attempted to rhyme off some numbers…until he was abruptly halted by Mr. Porter's raised palm.

"I don't need to know that Ron. I guess Mr. Duncan never explained everything to you about this set-up, and neither did Mr. Runn. You have one half of the payment code with you right now. Alone, it's useless, but coupled with the code you receive upon the successful completion of a mission, it becomes your key for a monetary transaction." Placing a piece of paper on the desk face down, Mr. Porter motioned for Ron to take a look. "You know the drill, read it and then put it through the shredder on the end of my desk there.

Doing as was requested, Ron shredded the paper and turned to the smiling face and open hand of Mr. Porter. Grasping his hand, the businessman said, "I'm impressed, Mr. Stoppable. My brother said you were a good kid, but you've proven your worth today. I look forward to seeing you in the near future."

"Your, brother?"

"Ah, yes. Pop-Pop Porter's Mini Corn-dogs ring a bell?" With the gaping jaw and the widening eyes adorning the face of the young blonde, Mr. Porter assumed he had. "Alright Mr. Stoppable, that will be all for today, as I really have to get moving to make it to my meeting on time." Shaking hands one more time, Ron took his leave, making his way slowly back down the stairway to meet up with his taskmaster, grinning like an idiot the whole way.

'_Kenu, I'm gonna kick your…_'

* * *

'_I sense a disturbance in the…aaaaaaah, I get it now._' 

Kenu looked up to see an outwardly happy Ron Stoppable walking toward his position on the sidewalk bench. It was only the blonde's eyes that gave him away. They held the promise of much hurt in the future for Kenu, and he was sure that Ron would follow through if he didn't watch his back from now on in. Kenu just chuckled to himself, allowing old memories to drift to the surface of his mind…before squashing them back into their little box for the moment.

"So Ron, did you make it on time?" Kenu raised his eyebrow to emphasize his interest.

"Yeah, just barely." Ron plopped down onto the bench beside Kenu. After a few moments of silence on both their parts, Ron spoke again. "So what now? I've got the payment code thingies and I'm almost ready to call it a day after only one job."

Nodding his head in understanding, Kenu spoke up, "True enough Ron but you did better than almost anyone else I've taken on, especially for their first time out. Your conditioning from the missions allowed you to get through this job. Normally I wouldn't have given you this difficult a job on your first time," This earned him a hateful glare that would have killed lesser men, "But I know your background, and the stats Wade sent over for me to look at." Kenu heard something about 'Wade' and 'destroy' being mumbled under Ron's breath.

"I had to figure out what kind of training you need, and this is the easiest way to do it. I've actually been testing you from the first time I saw you back at the office…but I'll explain that later. Right now, we celebrate."

"A-Booyah! Ummmmm, where are we going?" Ron asked as Kenu stood up and started moving away from the direction of the apartment.

Casting a glance over his shoulder and signalling Ron to follow with a toss of his head, Kenu continued, "We're going to one of my favourite spots in this big bad city…and it'll be your favourite spot over the next four months…trust me on this."

"Okay, but where are we going specifically?" Ron asked as he fell into step with his freckled cohort.

"The place that every man will deny he goes to, but all men love to attend."

"A strip joint?"

"No Ron, the Spa!"

* * *

Later that night, snoring could be heard from two distinct sources within the Runn apartment. The first coming from the red-bearded, freckled runner known commonly as Kenu. The other source, was the grinning and relaxed face of Ronald Dean Stoppable, future Runner extraordinaire. Mumbling could be heard from the blonde's mouth along the lines of. "Spa…yummy…SNORE…take KP…saltwater bath…mmmmmmmmm."

* * *

Sleep well Ron, because it doesn't get any easier from here on in. Props goes to the creator of Fancy Pants adventure Worlds One and Two. They are masterpieces and the inspiration for Kenu's pants. Sorry I cut this one off abruptly, but I'll get to some more details in the next chapter. I just really wanted to get this first job out of the way. 

Cheers,


	6. Training Day Pain

Right then sports fans. I'm back in action for the moment. And I have a major announcement. I just graduated! Woooooohooooooo! Yah! Feels good, but now I'm searching for jobs like a madman. Damn local market not having anything for me. Oh well, in any case, at least now I can get back to some heavy training and writing. I have some new inspiration for Run Stoppable….with some possibilities for my other Avatar story as well. In any case, lets get on with it.

* * *

Ronald Dean Stoppable was quickly becoming Kenu's new favourite person of all time…or at least in the top five, or three for that matter. When The two awoke this morning Ron offered to cook breakfast after Kenu had pulled out packets of oatmeal and fresh berries. While Ron knew this stuff was good for you, he definitely needed something more substantial for the day ahead if Kenu was planning another training session like he had yesterday. Eggs, hash browns, toast, fresh fruit, cheese, and juice were on the menu for a simple Ron Stoppable breakfast and was appreciated in the only way two men can…in complete silence with much chomping of the jaws.

After the Spa, Kenu had given Ron permission to just watch him on the rest of the jobs as he could tell the blonde boy just wasn't ready for any more jobs quite yet. So Ron had followed Kenu around the commercial district for the rest of the afternoon and evening, spanning another two hours, five jobs, and a few meal breaks along the way. Ron had been mostly keeping to the main streets, but would try some other routes every so often if his shoulders felt up for it. He mostly kept it to trying some basic vaults, wall runs, and kick-ups.

Kenu had been nothing less than impressive during the afternoon jobs. In between jobs Kenu was this easy-going character who loved to joke around and goof off. He almost looked clumsy at times, tripping over his own feet when pretty girls ran by. Of course, being the athlete he was, Kenu would turn it into a handstand, roll, or cartwheel. The handstand actually got him a phone number…lucky stiff.

As soon as Kenu was scheduled for a job though, the change was rather dramatic. Kenu went from happy-go-lucky to strictly serious in the blink of an eye until the job was finished. He didn't speak in excess, nor did he deviate from his course until the job was complete. Ron followed him into one of the offices at one point just to watch how Kenu did business with his clients.

* * *

Flashback

"Ah, good afternoon Mr. Runn. You're a few minutes early for your pickup as I'm just finishing the security protocols now. Take a seat, grab a coffee if you would like while you're waiting for an old man like me."

"Thank you Mr. Jakes, take your time please."

Kenu continued to stand ramrod straight while the elderly shop keeper flicked though some screens on a computer in small office. While Ron had noted that Kenu took jobs from all walks of people, he was smart enough to note Kenu's professionalism. He respected his clients on a professional and personal level, while maintaining the professional part throughout the transaction. He would politely turn down offers of food, drink, and even the use of their facilities.

Kenu had explained that he thought it was rude to take up the client's time during a transaction, as they were paying you to provide a service to them, not the other way around.

"So Kenu, I see you have a new protégé there." Kenu only nodded at the old man's observation. "The name's Gramps Jakes, but most people just call me Gramps around here."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Gramps, uh, I mean Mr. Gramps…Mr. Jakes." Ron stumbled over his words as he tried to act more professional so as to not cause Kenu's reputation any harm.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha. No worries boy, no need to be so formal. You're not the one I'm doing business here with. I'm still after Kenu sometimes to loosen up, but he still sticks to his set of rules like no one else. However," the old man grinned over his shoulder at the blonde, faded eyes sparkling in amusement, "It is considered polite to give your name to someone who has given you theirs."

Ron stiffened up immediately, "Ron Stoppable, sir."

"Stoppable, eh? That's a good name; Jewish is it?" Ron nodded in agreement, "Just relax Ron, you'll get the hang of your own style later on. Kenu, or should I say Mr. Runn, will undoubtedly tell you about that later, won't you?"

"That is definitely in the lesson plan, Mr. Jakes." Kenu replied with a hint of a grin on his face. No doubt he was struggling to keep his professional demeanour while being entertained at Ron's impromptu performance.

Gramps just nodded and pulled a mini-disk from the disk drive on the computer before sliding it into an aluminium case. Kenu took the cue and moved closer to the desk. Gramps pulled out one of those special lights Ron had seen in earlier incarnations. Kenu stuck his arm out for verification of the beads. Nodding in satisfaction, Gramps turned off the light and addressed Kenu directly.

"Alright Mr. Runn, here is the package." Pulling a palm-pilot out of his pants pocket, Gramps set face down in front of Kenu, "You'll find your passcode on the palm-pilot in front of you. You will have one minute to memorize the code and delivery instructions upon activating the screen before it will erase."

Kenu picked up the mini-computer and touched the screen causing it to light up. In thirty seconds, he placed the palm pilot back on the desk, facedown.

"I acknowledge receiving the instructions and passcode." Gramps proceeded to hand over the aluminium mini-disk case, shaking Kenu's hand with the other.

"I wish you luck Mr. Runn, and your time limit is thirty minutes." Turning to Ron, "I hope you can keep up Ron, as my jobs are usually pretty strenuous."

Ron opted to simply nod for the time being, not trusting his voice at the moment. He had noticed Kenu rather…giddy before walking into the shop. Kenu was probably going to have to come back for him later. Kenu spoke.

"Thank you Mr. Jakes. I will take my leave now to complete the job. I hope to do business with you again next time."

"Oh shove it Kenu. You know just as well as I do you're the only one who gets my business. Now get out of here and go crazy like you usually do. I'll see you later Mr. Stoppable. Come by and see me when you think you're ready to take on a more challenging job."

"Thank you, uh, Gramps." This caused the old man to smile widely. Waving goodbye, Ron followed Kenu out the door of the shop to begin what would be the most amazing thirty minutes he had ever seen to date.

End Flashback

* * *

Ron could only shake his head as he cleaned his plate in the sink. Kenu had turned out to be an even crazier person than he had originally thought…and that was saying something considering first impressions and all. Unfortunately, Ron's thoughts were interrupted by a splash of soapy water in the face.

"Woops, sorry Ron. The plate slipped." Kenu rubbed his head in shame. It was one of those traits Ron had noted about Kenu over the last twenty-four hours.

"Anyway," wiping off his face in the process with a dish towel, "What's the plan for today?"

"Glad you asked…otherwise I was just going to tell you anyhow, but whatever." Ron resisted smacking his forehead at that. "We'll be headed down to the dojo first, work out some kinks the spa treatments didn't get out, and then we'll go from there. Grab that mp3 player of yours too; I want to kick up some new tunage on the stereo system. My stuff's getting old these days."

"Tunage….oh, music you mean?"

"Yes man, tunage. Rockin tunes, music, organized instrumentation on a grand scale. Need I go on?"

"Point Taken."

"Alright bro, see you downstairs. Bring something loose and breathable. It tends to get warm down there at the best of times. Damn air conditioner keeps acting up…"

Ron continued to hear the mumblings of his bearded cohort until the window was opened and the voice drifted below. Tossing the towel back on the counter, Ron moved to the couch and his pack to draw out the few items he would need for today. The white hoodie and martial arts pants would do fine for this morning at least. Before shrugging on the hoodie, Ron pulled out some of the special balm Sensei had mixed for him at Yamanouchi. It looked like regular Tiger Balm you could find in the stores, but was infinitely more powerful. Rubbing a generous amount into his shoulders Ron instantly sighed in appreciation. Sensei sure knew his stuff when it came to muscle pain. Maybe it came from age or something?

Shrugging on his hoodie, Ron laced up his shoes, stuffed his mp3 player in his front pocket, and swung his white-clad ass out the window to the light pole. Grabbing it and holding tight, Ron refused to drop too far. He didn't want to have to climb back up again. Dropping to the level of the gym window, Ron spotted another safety bar posted under the windowsill and cat-jumped to hit it. The cat part still needed some work, but at least he managed to hang on as his body slammed into the brickwork. Scrambling his feet like he had seen Kenu do so many times the day before, Ron pulled himself over the bar and into the awaiting window.

"Glad you could join me oh-slow ass one." Kenu's voice mocked from where he sat on the floor in the split position. "While you're still standing, go over and plug that player of yours into the system. There should be a USB port on the third panel down. The player will find your songs and autoplay them, so don't worry about it."

"Will do." Ron paused at his own faux pas and chuckled involuntarily. That was the last person he wanted to see on this training trip…unless it was to kick the stooge's ass for him. Skittering over to the digitally imbued wall, Ron whistled for Rufus to take care of this one for him.

"Hey buddy, you're better at this than I am. You run the music this time?"

"Hnk, uh huh. Yep!" Rufus, player over his small shoulders, clambered up onto Ron's awaiting palm to be lifted to the requested panel. A drop-kick from the mole-rat opened up the required panel and Rufus plugged in the player to the correct receptacle. Standing on the player like a platform now, Rufus gave Ron the thumbs-up.

"Thanks buddy, couldn't do it without ya. Keep those tunes coming."

"Hnk, okay!"

"Alright Kenu, whatcha got for…WAAAAAAH!"

No sooner had our blonde-headed friend turned around than hundreds of tennis balls assaulted him. The little green projectiles were looking to cause him harm in every way possible, courtesy of our resident nutcase, Kenu Runn. Ron was forced to move almost every way imaginable just to reduce the number of tennis balls hitting his body. He even resorted to hiding behind some of the equipment in the room…until Kenu would run over and pelt him with tennis balls from another angle. And of course, being Kenu, he wasn't just throwing the tennis balls. Oh no, that would be too easy. He was flipping around using legs, knees, elbows, backhands, and even his head to direct the balls in Ron's direction…with rather disturbing levels of accuracy.

"I thought, YEOUCH, you were going to, WAAAAH, work out the kinks, _gasp_, Kenu?"

"Come on Ron. I said I was going to work out those kinks, but I didn't say how." Kenu grinned while punting another ball towards the blonde's kneecap. "And you have to admit, this is far more fun than simply sitting around and stretching."

"Run that by me again how turning me into a target is helping me loosen up?" Coming out of a roll, Ron performed a one-handed handstand to throw back one of the tennis balls he had scooped up. Kenu didn't even have to move to dodge it.

"With you having to dodge these tennis balls, you have to move in ways you normally wouldn't. Watching you yesterday, you're still thinking in terms of the basic lines of movement and direction. Forward, backward, side to side, up, and down."

"Yeah, and your point, OW!" Ron's quip earned him a rather vicious tennis ball to the side of his head.

"The POINT, as I was about to explain, is that you think in only one or two of those directions at once…most of the time anyhow. I saw that you have the potential to move in ways most people could only dream about from the workout you gave the heavy-bag two days ago. But when you get out on the street, you seem to be limiting yourself. Now MOVE dammit!"

Kenu let loose with a three-ball volley, two rapid-fire kicks and a throw that would reach Ron at about the same time. Ron basically looked like a deer caught in the headlights…the poor boy wouldn't know what hit him.

'_Oh crap, what the hell do I do now? Can't duck, there's two headed there. I can't jump either, as there's one in the centre of the body. I'm stuck between two pieces of equipment and can't roll out of the way…I'm screwed…_'

That was the thoughts going through Ron's head. However, Ron's body had a different plan of action. Bending and twisting to the side slightly, Ron swept his body around in a horizontal flat-spin.

'_At least that takes care of the other two. But he'll still be hit by the third ball…huh?_'

Ron had performed one full rotation in the air sideways before going into a semi-piked position. The change of shape allowed the third ball to pass harmlessly between Ron's now V-shaped body. Finishing the rotation, Ron came down on both feet, still rotating, to end up crouched in a defensive three point stance facing Kenu.

'How the hell did I do that?'

CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP…

This brought Ron's attention back from his own subconscious genius to the current reality. Kenu was shaking his head, laughing like a lemur, and clapping all at the same time. It got so bad, that Kenu simply stopped clapping after a moment or two and collapsed on the ground in tears holding his sides for air.

"Um, Kenu. While I'm glad you find this so funny, are you ok bro?"

"Ha ha ha ha ha…gasp…he he he he…one sec Ron. Oh crap that was fucking awesome…cough cough…he he he." Ron allowed Kenu a few moments to collect himself and sit up straight.

"Whew, ok, I think I'm over most of it now. Ron, I wasn't laughing at you, I was laughing more at this whole situation. You just pulled off exactly what you I just lectured you about. Damn you pick up this shit quick."

"Um, ya lost me." Even Rufus, who had been spinning tunes these past few minutes nodded his head in agreement with Ron.

"Alright, here's the deal. Even if you didn't realize it, you just pulled off a move that should be impossible to 99 of the people in this world. I don't even think you realized what you did at the time, did you?"

Ron shook his head in confirmation.

"Sigh, that's what I thought. Ron, you now have one more reason to hate Wade. He sent me a bunch of videos of you guys on missions for me to peruse before you arrived here. He asked me to take a look and see if I could figure out what the Ron factor was."

"Dude, GJ already tried that and even they couldn't figure it out. Besides, isn't it the Rufus factor now?"

"Nah Ron, Rufus is good but he's not what makes you tick. Wade was onto something when he mentioned chaos theory may have something to do with your inexplicable success with Kim."

"Let's pretend I don't know what you're talking about…"

"Don't worry about that, because it's actually a lot simpler. You've developed a neuromuscular memory unlike almost anyone else in the world."

"Again, what the hell are you talking about."

"Alright, let's try this again." Kenu dragged his calloused hands over his face in frustration. "Why do cheerleaders practice moves over and over again?"

"So they don't screw up during their performance, duh!" Ron said with a rather smug look on his face.

"Right, but on a simpler level than that, they're creating muscle memory. Their bodies are learning to do the movements almost automatically. The same thing goes for video games. The first few times you learn a new key sequence you're constantly thinking about what's going on. The more you do it though, the easier it gets until you don't have to think about it anymore, right?"

Ron had an ah-ha look on his face now. "So you're saying, that I just dodged those balls without thinking about it?"

"At least not consciously, but yeah, that's the idea. Through whatever training you've gone through in the past, you've probably done some combination of those moves on a repeated basis. When your mind locked up and shut down, you allowed your body to move the way it needed to in the situation. Sometimes the best thing to do is actually stop thinking too hard."

"A-Booyah! The Ron-man has an excuse to slack off…OW!" Rubbing the spot where a ball had miraculously found the centre of his forehead, "What was that for? I'm right, aren't I?"

"Yes, and no. The reason why you work so hard is to make those movements second nature. If you don't work harder, the movements will be rushed and harder to perform. This actually means you need to work harder to be better."

"Awwwwwww maaaannnnnnn. This tanks!"

"Alright then, now that the impromptu warm up is over…"

"Hang on a minute. You mean to tell me that you just decided to do this on a whim?"

"Yep."

"You pelted me…with tennis balls…just because you felt like it?"

"That's the idea. Is there an echo in here or do you just like hearing yourself talk?"

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr." Ron's eyes started turning blue and the air about him began to waver.

'_Shit. Wade warned me about Ron's MMP. Gotta take his mind off it somehow…_'

"Alright Ron, enough fooling around. Time to get back to training. Let's get those shoulders back in shape so we can really get down to some serious training."

That seemed to snap Ron out of it for the moment, as his eyes turned back to their normal brown and he reached up a tentative hand to touch one of his shoulders.

"Yeah…right. So what's first?"

"Hang on. Rufus, you got any Alter Bridge on that thing?"

"Hnk, checking." The little mole rat began to dance all over the player to find the requested artist.

"Alright Ron, here's the deal. I'm going to take part of my vacation early. For the next two weeks, you'll be training with me two or three times a day, every day."

"B-but…"

"No buts. Deal with it. If you don't like it, go back to Kim and tell her you'll be another liability for the next year until you get healed up."

Ron's face went from flabbergasted to serious in an instant.

"Good, glad to see you're taking this seriously now." Kenu stood up and helped Ron to his feet. "Morning sessions will be light running and flexibility training, every day. Evenings, we'll be working alternating session of either technique or strength training. Night times, well that's a surprise for later tonight. Think you can handle it?"

"I guess so…OW. I'm gonna take those balls and shove em up your ass if you don't quit that!" Ron covered his mouth in shock at his own words.

"Good, that's what I wanted to hear. You're either in this, or you're not. There's no guessing in this game. Guessing only gets you broke, injured, or worse. So, off we go for a light run, then it's back here for lunch. Agreed?"

Ron nodded in agreement.

"Alright, put this in your left ear." Kenu tossed Ron what appeared to be a wireless earpiece and mic. "Get used to wearing this. It's what we use to keep in touch on training sessions, missions, and to get directions from home base here. For now, we'll be using it as motivation. Rufus, kick that stuff up a notch and flick the switch marked transmit."

"Showtime, hnk!" Rufus knocked open another panel, hit the switch and let the music roar. Alter Bridge's _Come To Life_ filtered through the headsets.

"Awwwwwww yeah baby. Bring on the pain…let's bring on the noise!"

Rufus took the hint, knocking the volume up a few more notches.

"Alright Ron, keep up and start looking around at possible routes. We're working strictly light running this morning, so no crazy routes. Short vaults are cool, but keep it ground level. You're in the lead for the first half, I'll take the second."

"Three."

"Two."

"One."

"Rufus…"

"HNK, GO!"

"Later little buddy." Ron took a quick few steps and out the open window he dove, with much the same result as yesterday. He did have to get up a little quicker as Kenu was right behind his ass.

"Let's go Ron. Easy pace, anywhere you want."

"You got it."

The two Runners in training took off laughing and joking in the early morning light, rocking it out in their heads, planning routes all the time. The day was young, and Ron wouldn't know it yet, but there were events on the horizon that would become catalysts of change to the young man.

* * *

About an hour later, Ron and Kenu arrived back at the office. Both were sweating lightly, rosy cheeked and bright eyed. Ron couldn't figure out what Kenu had meant when he referred to _looking for routes_ earlier and he refused to explain throughout the run. Kenu merely said that it was something Ron had to figure out for himself, and that he would develop his Running Eyes in time.

They found Rufus chilling out, listening to some Disciple, as Kenu had asked Rufus to cut the link to the headsets during the last few kilometres so he could talk to Ron with more freedom. The little mole rat had somehow tracked down a block of extra-sharp cheddar cheese and dragged it into the workout room. How he managed this, only Rufus will ever know.

"Hey Rufus buddy, having a good time there with MY cheese?" Kenu grinned down at the now bloated mole rat.

"Hnk, sorry."

Ron picked up for his little buddy. "S'Okay Rufus, I'll pick up some more tomorrow. If you like, you can come along as help me get the best stuff?"

"Booyah, hiccup!"

"Alright, enough chatter. Rufus…just stay as you are I guess. Ron, time to get the flexibility up to par. This should be the easiest part of your training according to what I saw earlier."

"Heh, I've always been pretty flexible. Guess it comes with running after Kim, the cheer squad, and some…other training."

"Whatever, don't care about how, just that you're good enough so you won't get injured." Kenu moved over to a blank wall, tapping is twice. The wall slid out to reveal a set of thin exercise mats stacked on each other. "Grab one of these and follow me to the mirrors and bells."

"Alright Ron, we'll go through some stretching now. Whatever feels tight, that's what we'll work on first. Whatever isn't tight, we're going to maintain that flexibility and push it a little further."

A nod was Ron's reply.

* * *

The next hour was filled with grunts and groans that should never be heard from a man unless in rather intimate circumstances with a lady. Fortunately the sounds were only caused by one of the two athletes pushing the other in another direction to help with the stretching of a difficult muscle group to target. (Sorry ladies and gentlemen, I don't do Yaoi. Never have, never will.) Finally, after much discomfort, Ron and Kenu flopped back on the mats for the last time.

"Nice work Ron. You've got a better base than I thought. You need some work in your hips, lower back, hamstrings, and of course your shoulders. Other than that, you're pretty much where you need to be."

"Thanks. I noticed you were a little tight in the core area in general." Ron remarked as he sucked back some fluids from the glass he had beside him. Kenu had graciously shown him where a sink and several cups had been hidden behind another one of the false walls.

"Yeah," Kenu rubbed his read sheepishly, "I've never been one to really enjoy stretching. In almost every area I'm still worse than you are, but hopefully I'll get back into it now since I have a training partner again."

"Glad to be of service. Hey Rufus, you up for a snack buddy"

Somehow, Rufus had managed to digest his bulging belly within the hour and was ready again for more as he came bounding over to sit on Ron's lap and nod his head excitedly.

"Alright, hop on in buddy and we'll head up to cook up something. I'm feeling chicken-y at the moment."

"Groovy Ron, I'll be up in a bit. Just hit the button above the stove and I'll know that everything's done. Thanks again for taking care of the cooking while you're down here."

"Pfffffft. It's the least I can do for you taking time out to train me and give me a job and place to stay. I'll catch ya in a few." A grunt from Kenu was all he received in return as the freckled messenger proceeded to the gymnastics rings.

'_Does that guy ever stop training?_'

* * *

"Ron, if you keep cooking like this, we're going to have no problem keeping up our schedule. This stuff is exquisite." Kenu was currently stuffing his face with Ron's chicken a la king recipe. While extremely rich in calories, the two didn't care as they both had fast metabolisms and would be training to handle close to 4000 calories a day anyhow.

"Meh, I could do better, but we've really got to get your kitchen stocked up. You really don't like cooking, do you?"

"Ha ha ha. You could say that, yeah. If it takes more than pressing a few buttons or boiling water, I'm pretty much useless." Kenu reached into his back pocked, hauling out a bankcard. "Take this Ron, it's an expense card for the company. If you continue to cook like this at least a couple times a week, and maybe leave a plate or two for Penny, and she'll write it off for you as a business expense. Go get whatever you need for the kitchen to be up to what you need."

"Woah, I…uh…thanks?"

"Don't worry about it. But just don't go off and buy every piece of equipment under the sun. Some good knives, a good set of cookwear, and if you need another stove go crazy. I'll leave the rest of the necessities up to you. Consider this your payment to me and Penny."

"You got it Kenu. I'll do what I can."

"Hm." Kenu polished off the rest of his plate, downed the rest of his water bottle, and pushed away from the table. "Alright Ron, dump this stuff in the sink and lets get back to the gym. We've got some shoulders to rock out."

"Oh…yaye!" The sarcasm was nearly visible in Ron's voice. However, he still went through the motions of picking up his plate and dumping it in the sink after Kenu's example. He could only grin at the naked mole rat that was passed out on the tabletop.

'_Rufus, you are sooooo lucky._'

The two made their way out the usual route, which Ron was getting slightly more used to every time. Down in the training room, Kenu motioned for Ron to follow him over to the mirrored wall where the weird cannonball style weights sat.

"Alright Ron, these little beauties here are called Kettlebells. They're a Russian form of exercise that's a few hundred years old and continues to be one of the most hardcore ways of training functional strength today. Best thing for you, they pretty much focus on shoulders. Get familiar with them, give them names if you want, I don't care. But you will be well-acquainted with them by the end of your stay here."

Kenu hefted one to his shoulder in one smooth motion.

"Alright Ron, grab one that you feel comfortable with for now and we'll go from there."

Ron nodded, stood, and grabbed the next size down from Kenu's selection. It felt pretty good while holding it in two hands at waist height.

"Good choice for starting off Ron. You'll learn the motions better with that weight. I was foolish enough to start with the one I have here now and I nearly broke every bone in my body trying to learn the motions. Damn Russian ex-military bastard…grmbl grmbl."

Ron could only chuckle as he pictured Kenu getting drilled by a huge Russian dude swinging some massive weights around twenty-four hours a day.

"Anyhow, let's start with the basics. This is your bread and butter. The two handed, kettlebell swing is the basis to all shoulder strength exercises. Just try to do as I'm doing, and I'll correct you as you go."

Kenu proceeded to demonstrate and guide Ron into hefting and controlling the rather awkward feeling weight for the next twenty minutes…with many breaks in-between to rest the shoulders and hands. Ron couldn't get over how intricate such a simple exercise could be and how tiring it could be.

"That was a good start Ron. You'll feel better about swinging it around as you get more comfortable. Eventually you'll be able to do stuff like this."

Kenu proceeded to, what Ron could only discern as juggle, the kettlebell. He made is perform flips and turns and twists Ron was sure would break his fingers if he tried to do.

"Ron, this only comes from a number of years of practice. It's great for working on your coordination and body control though, and we may even get you into some basic flips and turns before this is all over."

Ron could only nod dumbly and gulp. He was now certain that Wade had chosen the one man who would be certain to put Ron through hell and back. I think we're up to about fifty strikes or so against Wade. Needless to say, the little chocolate-coloured genius had better be working on his security system by the time Ron gets home.

"I also want you working on the press and lean. When you press the bell, as it shall now be so affectionately called, you need to lean forward slightly. This will put much more strain on the stabilizer muscles in your shoulders, which is where you need the most work right now according to your medical file. Now, we've got another while of working this and then we'll move on to core exercises. Get to work."

'_I wonder what Kim's doing right now?_'

* * *

Back at Kim's

_Thunk_

"I'm…"

_Thunk_

"Gonna kill…"

_Thunk_

"Ron…"

The last throwing dart to hit the wooden post caused a deep split to appear along its length. Kim was out for Rondo blood after he left without saying where he was going, and Wade wouldn't tell her where he was. But of course she wouldn't kill him…

"Now where did I put that meteor chain…"

…would she?

* * *

Back with Ron

'_I sense a disturbance in the force._'

"Back at it Ron, let's rock this thing!" Kenu hollered to get Ron's attention as the song Hold Me In Your Arms by the Trews came blaring over the speaker system.

"Like the man said, let's bring on the pain…" Ron said more to himself as he hefted the weight up and began to lean. Pain was definitely the operative word of the day.

The rest of the afternoon was spent focusing on core strength and balance exercises. Kenu said something about working the clay before they started to sculpt. The pottery reference was lost on poor Ronald, but he just accepted it as one of Kenu's eccentricities…his many eccentricities.

"Alright Ron, take this evening off. We'll be starting our night session once it gets dark so do whatever you want for the time being. Go take a nap if you want."

"What are you going to do?"

"Me? I hadn't really thought about it much, but I think I might go finish some reading I've been neglecting. I've got a year's worth of books to catch up on."

Kenu kicked off his shoes, slipping into his room to emerge a few seconds later with a rather large, hardcover book in his hands. It looked rather worn around the edges, and even the golden lettering along the spine was faded. Reaching into his pocket, Kenu tossed Ron a black and yellow walkie-talkie.

"Catcha later Ron. If you need me, just hit the button one on this 'walkie' and it'll connect you to me. Normally, if Penny was in, the headset would work fine enough. Catcha once it gets dark." With that, Kenu moved to the window, reached above the window sill, and pulled himself up and out of sight. Ron figured he was headed to the roof where Kenu said was his 'personal sanctuary'. Ron didn't have the finger strength to get up there yet, as the cracks used were quite tiny.

"So little buddy, what do we do now?" The little mole rat turned to look at his best friend once his name was heard.

"Hnk, dunno?" Accompanying this was a tiny mole rat shrug.

"Well you're tons of help aren't you?"

"Hey!" The little mole rat accompanied his distress with an equally tiny growl.

"Heh, sorry Rufus, I guess I'm more tired than I thought. Maybe I do need a bit of a rest."

"Yep, uh huh." The little mole rat nodded enthusiastically before finding his resting spot in Ron's pants pocket.

"He he he. Good idea little buddy. Let's go find somewhere to chill."

Ron grabbed a blue long sleeved tee, made sure his Kevlar belt was in place (never leave home without one), and pocketed the walkie and his mp3 player. Sliding in the phones and turning on his Kutless playlist, Ron slid out the window down to the ground floor. A few minutes of walking later found Ron in a local playground where a few of the kids were playing basketball, hopscotch, and other random games. The lone tree there looked relatively undisturbed, so Ron scrambled his way up into the first big branch he found and settled himself in for a nap.

* * *

**BEEP**

**BEEP**

**BEEP**

"Wha…huh…wassat?" Brown eyes flicked open to meet complete blackness, minus the streetlamps illuminating patches of the ground as if they were platforms in and endless sea of inky night.

**"Ron!"**

"Woah…WAAAAAAAAAA…OOF!" The shock of hearing his name from a disembodied voice caused our blonde Runner in training to fall from his perch in the tree and crash to the hard, unforgiving ground below.

**"Ron, it's me, Kenu. Come in bro."**

Ron brushed himself off, reaching into his pocket to withdraw the walkie and detatch his headphones in the process.

"Hey Kenu, sorry man. What's up?" The walkie crackled to life in response.

**"Hey Ron, good to hear you're still alive. Ha ha ha. Listen, can you make it back to the house now. We'll get started on our last training set for today…or tonight as it were."**

"Yeah man, no problem. I'm just down at the local basketball court. I'll see you in ten."

**"Later gator! Kenu out."**

With the light on the walkie extinguished, Ron pocketed both that and his headphones to begin the short walk back to Kenu's house. The streets looked a little unfamiliar in the deepening night, but Ron had a rough idea of what he was doing, the key word here being r_ough_.

* * *

"Alright Ron, where the hell did you go?" Kenu Runn muttered to no one in particular as he leant against the lamppost outside his home and office. It had been twenty minutes and still no Ron. Kenu thought about reaching for the walkie when a familiar set of sounds assaulted his ears.

'CRASH…BARK BARK BARK…WAAAAAA HA HA HA AH AH!'

"Right then…here he comes."

Ron stoppable cam tumbling out of a back alley, non the worse for wear, but definitely tripping over himself to scramble away from something or another. Scrambling back to his feet, Ron brushed the last of what appeared to be some slimy substance and sauntered over to Kenu looking as dignified as one could…with a banana peel attached to his head.

"Got a little lost, did we Ron?" Kenu's eyebrow raised in amusement.

"Heh, yeah. Still not used to the roads around here. Did you know there's a crazy dog chained on in that alleyway back there?"

"Ha ha ha. Yeah, I do. That's the neighbour's dog. He acts tough, but as soon as you stand your ground he backs down like a pup." Kenu picked the banana peel off Ron's shoulder, tossing it to the side.

"Oh, thanks. So what's on the go. You said we had another training session or something?"

"That about does it. We just have to lay out a few ground rules first."

Ron stood at attention. When Kenu said there were rules to be followed, they was definitely a reason behind it.

"Rule one, no electronic devices. Phones, walkies, mp3 players, the works. Get rid of it in the office slot over there before we leave."

"Rule two, you only get one chance to make sure everything is properly attached. Get those shoes tied back up and have everything ready to move at a moments notice."

"Rule three, put your hand down Ron, I'm not finished yet. Ahem, as I said, Rule _three_, you make as little noise as possible. The more noise you make, the more the punishment will be later."

"And last but not least, rule four, keep it simple. Stay within your comfort zone at night. Don't try anything new. Alright Ron, now you can ask your questions, _while_ you're getting ready."

"Right, um…" Ron moved to dump his gear in the office door slot and check his clothing, "Oh yeah, why all the prep work. It's a training session isn't it?"

"I guess it's best if I just come out and say it. Ron, our nighttime training sessions are stealth sessions. The idea is to move like you would on an intelligence-gathering mission in enemy territory. No loose clothing, no excess movements, and no noise. This style of training teaches muscle control and sensory movement principles."

Noticing the dumb blonde look on Ron's face and the hand beginning to rise, Kenu just waved him back down, "Ok, basically we're learning how to get around without making sounds. This means we'll be faster and more able to react in the daylight."

'_And we'll be able to steer clear of the other groups once we start doing more dangerous runs._' Kenu kept that last thought to himself so as to not scare Ron off completely.

"Um, I think I get it. So we're just sneaking around tonight, right?"

Kenu nodded, "That's the basic idea, yeah. So, all ready?"

Ron adjusted his belt again. 'Just to make sure', he told himself. Once everything was squared away, Ron nodded to Kenu, giving him the thumbs up.

"All right Ron, talk as little as you can. I'll pause every once in a while to make sure you're still with me. If you need anything, tap me on the back and I'll move in close. Since this is your first Night Run, just follow me for now."

Seeing Ron's apprehensive, yet determined face, Kenu started a slow, silent jog down one of the side streets with Ron trailing after him. Ron however, was significantly less adept at the whole 'silent' concept, as in comparison he sounded like a herd of elephants.

* * *

'_Holy catfish and a half, he's like a ghost!_'

Needless to say, Ron couldn't get over how Kenu could move. Sure, I mean, Kim was good at this sort of thing and Rufus could pretty much sneak up on anyone if the need arose, but Kenu was on a whole other level.

'_He kinda reminds me of the way Sensei, Yori, and the other ninjas could move_.'

Even pushing off from walls, hitting pipes at a dead run, and landing and rolling on all sorts of ground, Kenu didn't make a sound, nor did he slow down. Sure he was slower than usual, but still not slow by any stretch of the imagination for any normal human being.

Following Kenu over the course of the next hour was quite the task, though not impossible. A few times, Kenu would stop and get Ron's attention, explaining to him where they were headed in advance if there was a tricky route coming up. Ron had also been appreciative that Kenu kept the drops to ten feet or less during this session. Anything higher than that, and Ron was sure he would have woke up the entire neighbourhood. It was surprising, nonetheless, that Ron's muscles were aching like never before. Some of it had to do with the amount of training they had already done that day, but Ron had a suspicion it was actually harder to move silently and slow down the motions than it was to move quickly with more noise. Or, maybe Ron was just crazy.

Yeah, that had to be it.

Arriving back at Kenu's home via a rooftop jump from one of the adjoining buildings, Ron promptly collapsed in utter agony onto…grass? He would definitely have to ask Kenu about this when he could see more. Shaking out his arms and legs Kenu turned around to look at Ron.

"So Ron, what do you think about your first Night Run?"

A prostrate Ron stuck up his arm in a hasty thumbs-up before letting it drop again to his side. This action received a hearty chuckle from Kenu and a hand back to his feet.

"Bah, you'll get used to it Ron. I've been doing this for a long time. Now get your butt inside and get some rest. There's a rope underneath the brickwork there that you can use to get back down to the window. I'll be down in a few."

Ron merely raised his hand an acknowledgement and moved on autopilot until his head hit the pillow.

Kenu, raising up the rope and winding it back together in a pile, reflected on the progress made today.

'_If only all of my workers had this kind of potential, we wouldn't have this inter-city war going on. I just hope you can handle it Ron, because if you're not ready in two weeks, you're going to get chewed up out here._'

* * *

What's this, a war on the go? Say it isn't so!

Ha ha ha. Anyways, let me know what you think. Should I be explaining things a little more or what? I hope this is a good return into the writing circle and not everyone has abandoned me…yet.

Cheers,

Neal


	7. Solo Flying

The next two weeks for Ron were pretty similar on a day-to-day basis

Hey there Run Stoppable fans! Now comes the fun bit. I get to actually get into writing a story for once. Ha ha ha. I've had a good friend of mine (who just happens to write a far meaner story than me) tell me that I do too much of the training stuff in my stories and not enough of the meat. Well, now it's time to go outside my comfort zones. Besides, Ron's got and Inner-City War to deal with eh? Bring the pain!

The next two weeks for Ron were pretty similar on a day-to-day basis. He would get up, eat a little, go training, eat some more, train again, eat again, train, eat…eat, train…lather, rinse, repeat! It was monotonous, but the results were showing…sort-of. Ron's shoulders were feeling a hell of a lot better, almost stronger than they had ever been. But that couldn't be the case, could it? After all, they had only been training for two weeks, and Ron had three and a half months left to go. If this was going to be the learning curve for the rest of the summer, Ron wasn't sure anyone would recognize him when he got home. The rest of his teenage body had also taken a turn for the better. He stood straighter without realizing it, his walk was more powerful and determined, and his balance had been progressively coming along. Of course, Ron still had his moments…some a little more embarrassing than others…but still within the range of Ronness. He had his fist two conversations with Kim within this time frame as well. The first never lasted long, and went something like this…

Flashback

"_Hey Ron!" Kenu called out over the blare of music in the dojo._

"_Yoha Broha?" Ron's voice rang out as he pummelled the reaction-bag._

"_There's a rather steamed sounding lady asking for you on your MP3 player." Ron had transferred all of his music files to Kenu's database earlier in the week and had left his multi-use media device upstairs._

"_Awwwwww mannnnn. This is so not going to end well." Ron palmed his face in agitation. He was going to get a chewing out by his best friend. "Alright Kenu, I'll be up in a jiff."_

"_Right on."_

_Ditching his sweaty gear, Ron launched to light pole and scrambled hand over hand up to the apartment window before scrambling inside. Gulping a little, Ron reached for the black device now flashing with a red RS symbol on the front screen. Holding it away from his face…a little further than normal of course for auditory safety reasons…Ron touched the flashing screen and put on his best 'I'm Sorry I'm An Idiot Best Friend' smile. Needless to say…it didn't quite have the intended effect. Maybe he should have tried for the same smile in Boyfriend Mode._

"_Uh, hey KP…"_

"_Don't you hey KP me, Ronald Dean Stoppable!" Fuck, he was screwed. When KP of all people used his full name, it was even worse than when his mother used it, and that was saying something._

"_What were you thinking, leaving without telling me where you were going and what you were up to. And on that note, where are you?"_

"_Ummm, KP, well, I figured…"_

"_And another thing. I'm your girlfriend aren't I?"_

"_Yes, but KP…"_

"_Don't you but KP me! I have half a mind to come down there and kick your butt right back to Middleton."_

"_Ok KP, can I…"_

"_Call me when you're ready to apologize Ronald."_

'_Click'_

"_Awwwwwww man!"_

Flashback End

So the first conversation didn't go too well. Of course, Kenu razzed Ron about being whipped by his girlfriend, that is, until he was reminded that _the_ Kim Possible was Ron's girlfriend. Then all he could do was shake his head and chuckle, muttering something like, 'You've got problems man.'

Fortunately for Ron, when he called back (it only taking five or six times to get KP to pick up) she had been calmed down by her mother long enough for her to hear Ron's plan for the summer. She eventually understood, but stipulated that if he didn't come back in tip top shape for missions and if he didn't keep in touch like he said he would, she would have it in for him when he got back home…KP Kung Fu Style number 17 'SSS'…The Stoppable Stompin' Style!

And of course, no Kim Possible Bon Diggity Kisses. Naturally, Ron acquiesced.

So finally, with the fiery-haired goddess appeased for the moment, Ron dove right back into his training, which leads us to the end of Kenu's vacation and Ron's official day on the job.

"Wakey wakey Ron, time to get moving." Kenu kicked the futon/couch Ron was sleeping on. It had taken the two about an hour or so to get the thing up there and set up in the living room in place of the old couch which now sat in the dojo. This was much better than the old couch Ron had been using and kept his back from snapping in four different places when he woke up.

"Wha, hmmmmmmmm, 'sokay…I'm up, I think."

Ron threw the sheets off his body and propped up on his left elbow while scratching his blonde locks with his right hand. Moving on autopilot, Ron shuffled to the closet for a towel, then the shower to wake his lazy ass up. The hot water did wonders in the mornings after hard workouts. At least yesterday Kenu had only done a short workout and then given Ron the rest of the day off to recover. Mind you, prior to that had been the two weeks of progressively more challenging workouts, ending with a double-three hour session pulling everything together. Ron was still a little sore, but not near as bad as he thought he should be. Shrugging on a shirt after shower along with some pants, socks, trainers, wristbands, and security-beads. Ron had found out that since it was on his left-wrist, this meant that he was in training. Once he was done his probation period, Ron would be allowed to wear the beads on his right wrist…earning him the official title of Runner.

But that was definitely, much, much further, in the future for Ron.

"Alright bro, wakey wakey, otherwise you're going to chop off your fingers there."

Looking down, Ron noted he was cooking on autopilot. Smirking just a little, he continued with his half-dazed cookery. Ron's skill with a chef knife was bar-none. Heck, he could do this in his sleep, which he probably did considering the missing food in the fridge some nights that he had tried to blame on Rufus and Kenu…who of course denied it completely.

Finishing up a simple meal of fruit salad, granola, and yoghurt, topped off with fresh orange and pomegranate juice and a slice of honey-covered multigrain toast, both athletes flopped down on Ron's bed now-turned couch.

"So Ron, how do you feel today? I did put you through your paces there." Kenu leaned back on one of the arms with his head propped in his upturned palm.

Shrugging his shoulders without any pain, Ron replied, "Alright I guess?" A quirked eyebrow from Kenu caused Ron to raise his hands in surrender. "Alright, Alright, so I'm better than okay." Ron knew that the eyebrow quirk signalled that Kenu wanted a complete rundown of his condition.

"My shoulders feel at least as good as they were before the Dementor mission; Probably a little stronger. My back, especially the upper back, is definitely stronger. Legs are a little tired, but they'll hold out unless we start sprinting all-out today. Forearms and calves are good, but my hands are still pretty tender. I can't feel much on the back of my forearms though…or my lower back for some reason."

"Good." Kenu looked pleased. "The forearms deadening are from the Bell Snatches we've been doing this week. The lower back is from some of the rolls I've been trying to teach you to smooth out. Don't worry, you'll feel those two parts soon enough." This achieved an annoyed look from Ron, as a comment like that could only mean more punishment. "As for the rest, you're right where you should be, and ahead in some areas. I thought that your legs would be at the stage they are now, but your shoulders and back have healed and tightened up more quickly. Looks like you're ready to go to work."

"Work?" Ron scratched his head for a second. "Oh, that's right. Your vacation's over right?"

"You got it Stoppable. From now on in, you'll be working for the team. Welcome to Kenu Runn's messenger service!"

Shaking Ron's hand, Kenu reached around the back of the couch and pulled out a brand new messenger bag, tossing it to Ron.

"Here Ron, this is yours buddy. Consider it a welcoming gift to my team."

"Hey, thanks Kenu. I really appreciate this." Ron was touched that Kenu had gotten him a gift for joining the team. Looking over the bag, Ron noticed that while the general layout of the bag was similar to a traditional over-the-shoulder bag, there were some major differences. First of all was the material. It was rough, almost like Kevlar in texture, but rougher around certain seams and patches. The zippers and hatches were robust, military grade at least. The main strap also had a big pressure button on the front with Kenu's four-directions logo on it. Pressing it down caused the bag to separate. A quick-release button…nice!

"You'll find some extra pull-out straps that go around your stomach in the side zippers. They'll be for when you need to make sure that bag doesn't move around." Kenu watched as Ron slung on the bag and started adjusting all the straps to fit. If there was one thing Kenu had drilled into Ron early, is that everything had to fit perfectly. "There's also a set of gear in the bag for you. Pants, shorts, shirts, rain-shell, vest, socks, gloves, and patches. You can slap the patches on wherever you feel like they fit you, but you have to have at least one on you somewhere. Oh, and you can modify your gear if you want. Some guys wear extra gear they, and some just tear their gear apart to make it fit properly. It's up to you bro, so long as you transfer the patches onto the new gear. And colours are up to you too. I picked you out some reds, yellows, and blacks. Pretty basic, but they should work for now. Penny can hook you up with the best quality gear for half the price, just give her a list and she'll get it for you and take it out of your cheque."

"Ummmm…woa!" Ron couldn't believe this, he was being kitted out better than the Football team would have been back in Middleton.

"Oh, and I almost forgot. Your old trainers just aren't going to do around here. Head downstairs once you're ready and Penny will hook you up with our prototype trainers. They're pretty much the only things that can hold up to what we do."

"Booyah! The Ron-man gets some new kicks. Giggity giggity giggity…OW!" Ron rubbed his head as a stray flying orange picked him off.

"Never again will I ever let you watch that show…EVER!" Kenu let out a sigh. "Alright Ron, kit yourself up for a job. You'll find a list of stuff you need to have on you in your bag as well. Then head downstairs, get your shoes and job assignment from Penny, and get to work. Once you're done, the rest of the day is yours to do with as you please."

"Wha, that's it?"

"Yep, that's it. You can do this Ron, no worries. I'll catcha later tonight when I'm finished up. Later bro!" Kenu finished checking his laces and took two steps back before launching himself out the window to start his first day back on the job after two works. Guaranteed the guy had to be antsy to get back on the job and blow off some excess energy.

"Alright then Rufus buddy, let's get this gear on, eh?"

"Hnk, uh huh, uh huh!" The little guy popped out of the couch cushions and hopped into the bag to pull out the list he would check off while Ron tried to get all of the gear on that he would need.

Penny had given out most of the assignments for the day, other than some of the night-crew, but that wouldn't happen for the next few hours or so. She flicked her chestnut hair out of her face and continued with receiving the next batch of jobs from new and old contacts. The new ones were a pain, as the proper paperwork had to be filled out and all the security checks had to be made to make sure it wasn't a hoax. Penny made sure that it didn't happen often, as all hell had broken loose the last time it did.

"Damn rival gang mother…"

'Ding'

'…_of God who is that?'_

"Hey Penny. Good morning!"

"Ron?"

"Yep, the one and only."

The front door to the shop of Kenu Runn's Messenger Service had triggered the bell set up just under the doorway. It was primitive, but at least it let Penny know when to look up and greet a new client, postal service, or employee. She had not expected Ron Stoppable, the goofy looking kid from two weeks ago to be standing there kitted out in full messenger gear. And he looked pretty damn good! Ron was wearing a flat black hooded top with yellow piping on the arms and body, along with yellow pants that stopped just above his sneakers. The new messenger bag was strapped over his left shoulder and a set of fingerless gloves could be seen poking out from his shirt pockets. Some blue sunglasses sat on top of Ron's head and a 'Kenu Runn' patch sat proudly on the strap of the messenger bag, the right shoulder of his shirt, and on the left thigh of his pants. Of course, the beads and earpiece finished off the look. The boy cleaned up nicely, what can ya say? Come on, even though she was attached to Alex, she's only human. Looking wasn't the same as touching! And Alex….mmmmmmmmm…Aleeeeexxxxxx…

"Uh, Penny, there's some drool coming out of your mouth…"

Penny hastily wiped the offending liquid away with her sleeve, and at least tried to focus back on the task at hand. She should've known that Kenu would somehow 'forget' to mention that Ron would be joining the team today. She figured it would happen eventually, just not so soon. The kid must have some serious potential to be allowed to fly solo this early in the game.

"Hey Ron, looking good there handsome." This caused Ron to blush. "So you're ready to start up eh?"

"Yeah, well, at least Kenu thinks so. I just hope I don't screw up too badly."

"Eh, no worries Ronnie. I'll set ya up with somethin' nice and sweet for today." Flicking away at the keyboard, Penny brought up the C and D class deliveries she figured he could handle. "Alright Ronnie, come over here and let me explain how this goes down."

"Missions are ranked from D to AAA. D and C ranks are pretty simple, mostly giving you lots of time and the packages are pretty standard; Some cash, a recipe, letters, you get the picture. B class and up start dealing with progressively more sensitive information and far more profitable…and dangerous." Noting the shocked look on Ron's face, Penny tried to explain without letting out the real secret. "Relax Ronnie. That just means you've got to take harder routes, with less time, and possibly deal with people who want to get the packages away from you. But don't worry, that won't happen for a good while from now. You have to build up your 'cred' before clients, and I, start trusting you with the higher ranked jobs."

"Ummmmmmm, okay then. I think I got it." Ron scratched the back of his head for a minute.

"So Ron, anything else ya need while I sync-up your earpiece to the system?"

"Wha…oh yeah! Kenu mentioned something about getting me some new shoes or something? Any idea what he meant by that?"

"Uh huh, yep, and I can see why there Ron. Your shoes need some work for our line of work. Come on back here, and I'll hook you up." Penny pressed a button on the keyboard and turned a key-switch, causing the panel on the left wall to open up. Inside the panel were boxes upon boxes of shoes. Selecting three different sizes around Ron's current ones, Penny handed them to Ron and motioned for him to try them on. "Let me know which ones fit the best there Ronnie."

After a few moments of testing, Ron decided on the perfect size for his feet. The shoes were rather unique though to what he was used to. They were built like cross trainers, yet flowed from heel-to-toe like a running shoe, and had the cushioning and grip of basketball or soccer shoes. It was a rather weird feeling to have the excess rubber wrapped around the top of the toe-box, but Ron figured it had to be for a reason, as Kenu wore a pair very much like these.

"Alright toots, press the main sync button on your earpiece and you should start hearing my voice." Ron did as he was told and Penny's voice came through loud and clear as she spoke some gibberish to test out the levels on Ron's system. "Okay, you're all set. You'll receive the coordinated from me for today. Later on, you'll get a PDA from me because of the sheer number of jobs you'll be taking on that you'll need to keep track of and schedule routes for. If you need directions or just need to talk to me for any reason, just say 'Link Pence'; that's my nickname. Don't ask why, but Kenu insists we all use nicknames. It's the same for Kenu, his nickname is Wingnut. You'll be known as Rook for now. You got all that?"

"Loud and clear Penny...I mean Pence."

"Alright then, off you go. Head for the end of the next road down and I'll fill you in as you go."

"Gotcha."

Jogging down the street at a light pace, Ron felt nervous, but excited about his new job. This was so cool! He was getting in great shape, and he would get trained up to boot.

_Blip"Yo Rook!"_

"Wha? Oh, hey Pence, what's up?"

Blip "Nice catch Rook. Your first job is about two blocks down in the Buckles and Steiner Building. Your contact will meet you in the restaurant. The name 'Maximus' will get you into the restaurant and to the right table. Mr. Foster is your contact for this job, he'll explain the rest."

"Right on, anything else Pence?"

"Nope, that's about it. You've got 20 minutes to make it to the target on time. That should be plenty for your first solo job. Take care and good luck Rook. Pence out!"

"Right on…then let the games begin." Ron picked up the pace, eager to stretch his legs out and to make a good first impression.

"Mr. Foster I believe?"

"Yes, I am Mr. Foster."

"I'm Ron Stoppable, employee of Kenu Runn. I'll be your messenger for today."

"Ah, excellent Mr. Stoppable. And you're early; I'm impressed. You must be new to the company, yes?" After shaking hands, Mr. Foster motioned for Ron to have a seat across from him at the table he occupied.

"Yes sir, I am."

"I couldn't help but notice the band on your left wrist. May I?" Mr. Foster held up a pocket version on the specialized light Kenu used to verify his messengers. Holding out his left hand, Ron allowed the light to shine over the beads and bring up the letters 'KENU RUNN DELIVERY'. "Ah, I see you're working directly under Kenu eh?"

Noting the confusion on Ron's face, Mr. Foster continued. "After a period of training in, usually under another runner, all of Kenu's employees get their own set of beads. The symbol on the end here is the real key to everything. Colours also play a role in the security of these things. As you're new, I guess he's letting you use his secondary beads until you're experienced enough to get your own codes and colours."

Ron soaked all of this in like a sponge. Kenu's company was bigger and more complex than he could have imagined at first glance.

"Right then, I think we're ready to get down to business then, as everything seems to be in order." Reaching into his jacket, Mr. Foster pulled out an envelope sealed in a plastic bag and placed it on the table. Next, he pulled out a PDA, touched the screen a few times, and placed it facedown on the table as well. "Mr. Stoppable, you will find on this table one letter sized envelope containing sensitive and private information belonging to myself and the individual you will be delivering this to. As this is a public place, you will find the information on the delivery point, contact person, pass code, and time limit on the facedown PDA in front of you."

Ron nodded and picked up the PDA, touching the screen to display the following information:

POD (Point of Delivery): Jecks and Hidleberg

Contact: Ms. Henrietta Beck, CFO.

Pass Code: 'Moseltov'

Time Limit: 1 Hour.

Payment Code: XXXXXX (I don't want to have to think up any more codes than I have to.)

Memorizing the needed information, Ron set down the PDA on the table and picked up the envelope, placing it in his messenger bag.

"I have read the contents of the PDA and find the terms acceptable. I receive this letter in good faith and will deliver it promptly and without incident. Does this conclude our business for today?"

"Yes it does." Pocketing the PDA, Mr. Foster stood with Ron and shook his hand. "And Ronald? I'm very impressed so far. If your work continues to be this professional, I'll definitely be considering you for higher-profile jobs in the future. Nice work son!"

"Thanks Mr. Foster. That means a lot to me. Well, I gotta go, see ya later and have a great day!" Waving as he walked off toward the lobby, Ron had a perpetual smile on his face. His first contract, fifty percent done, and only the other half to go. This could turn out to be a great day after all. Keying up his headset, Ron spoke into it once he breached the outside doors.

"Hey Pence, you hear me?" A brief pause followed, which of course to Ron, felt like 10 years!

_Blip "Hey Rook, all finished with the first contact?"_

"Sorta, but now I need some directions. Any idea where Jeckle and Hyde place is?"

Blip "Jecks and Hidleberg Rook, and yes, I do know where it is. Head down this street towards the largest tower you can see, then take a right to the next set of lights. Once you're then, head left for another ten minutes and you can't miss it."

"Thanks Pence, much obliged. Catch ya on the flip side."

_Blip "You got it Rook. Oh, and the Naked Man says hi."_

"Naked Man? Oh, gotcha, tell him I said hi too and that I'll be back as soon as I can." Ron figured it out quickly that Penny was talking about Rufus. The little guy had decided to stick around with Penney after he felt the chill in the morning air…and he could do with another two-hour nap.

_Blip "You got it. Pence, out!"_

Taking off at a light jog, Ron set off for his first day on the job. Hopefully, it wouldn't be as bad as his first day working with the school paper. Oh the inky nightmares he had for weeks after that incident with the printing press. But enough of that, off to work we go!

Alright then, you know the drill. Let me know what you think, and if you've got some suggestions, let me know. I'm going to focus less on the actual jobs, and more on the main characters for the time being. That's why I didn't get into how Mr. Foster looks. Just picture some average businessman looking type.


	8. Green and Black Encounter

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm back. Yes, yes, I know you thought I was gone for good. Not only have I updated my profile, but I've also updated the last chapter, as there were some inconsistencies there, concerning Ron and Kim. Foolish me, I forgot this is post-diablo mission. In any case, I'm on the road, getting to do some more writing as I travel the world. This post comes to you live from the Euro Hostel in Glasgow, Scotland. Well, it was written elsewhere, but I'm transferring it over to digital copy now. Right then, well here goes, and I hope I haven't lost my touch. Time to start alluding to the war going on.

* * *

Ron chose to take a few side-routes on his way to Jecks and Hidlebergs just to chew up the time. There were numerous side street around the large tower in the distance, so he simply jogged around to chew up 20 minutes or so, then proceeded down to his job destination. Luckily, during said time spent running, there were no wardrobe malfunctions worthy of mention. Arriving with 15 minutes to spare, Ron proceeded to calm his breathing and make himself presentable for his client, before entering the building and heading to the front desk.

"Good morning, sir. How may I be of assistance?" A lady with purple-dyed hair greeted him.

"Um, ah, I" Ron checked himself and started again, "I mean, ahem. Hello there. My name is Ron Stoppable. I'm looking for a Ms. Henrietta Beck."

"May I ask what this is regarding?"

"Ah, yeah, I have a package for her. I represent Kenu Runn."

Oh, alright then. She's expecting you. Just head up the elevator to floor 5 and you'll find her just at the end of the hall."

"Thanks," Ron glanced at her nametag, "Rose. Be seein' ya!" Ron took off to the elevators across the foyer, luckily just catching one as a group of pressed suits bustled out. Keying the buttons needed, Ron prayed a little for this to go smoothly.

* * *

"Ah, Mr. Stoppable is it? Come in, come in." Ms. Beck called from behind her desk. Ron mused that Rose must have called up before for Ms. Beck to know who he was prior; either that or Penney had something to do with it. Maybe she was setting up the missions with names to go along with the jobs for added security. Meh, Ron would figure that one out later on. For now he had to keep his eyes off her quite ample bosoms and red lips. Thoughts of KP flooded his mind at will, driving any bad thoughts away. Ron closed the door and approached the desk.

"Please, have a seat Mr. Stoppable and we'll get started."

Rom thought about his previous meeting, what the client had said, and also his mentor's style of doing business. Ron decided he just had to be himself, well, most of the time anyways.

"Thank you Ms. Beck, but please, it's just Ron, unless you would prefer otherwise."

"Ah, excellent Mr…Ron. Sometimes it gets far too stuffy up here at the top with everyone trying to kiss my proverbial…you get the idea. And please, Henrietta will do fine."

"Heh, thanks Henrietta. So, the ball's in your court, so to speak."

"Right then, Ron. If you would just place your hand under the lamp there…thank you, everything checks out. I expect that you have something for me?"

"You got it in one. Package from Mr. Foster."

"Oh, excellent. I was hoping he would get that sent off today. The old coot sometimes doesn't remember to get things sent off until the last minute. Once, I had a runner trying to run me down in my car. Simply put, the poor guy was exhausted."

"Really? He seemed rather prompt to me."

"Ah, it comes and goes, Ron. You must have caught him on a good day, or at least a day when he's not trying to run the whole company by himself."

"Right, one of those…micro-munchers."

Henrietta burst out in a fit of laughter, tears and all. Ron didn't know what he said that was so funny, so he sat looking perplexed as she took off her glasses and wiped a stray tear from her eye.

"Ah, thank you Ron, I needed a good laugh. Forgive me for correcting you but I think you mean 'Micro-Manager.'"

"Um, heh hehe, yeah. Economics is not my strong suit apparently. Well, the home one is at least."

"No worries Ron, but I'll be keeping in mind that you cook if I have need of an emergency chef in the future." Ron was half excited and half terrified at the prospect. She continued, "Right then, I believe I'm forgetting something though. I believe a passcode is in order is it not?" Ron nodded. "Moseltov, I believe is the correct answer?"

Ron smiled and produced the envelope, placing it in the CEO's waiting hand before seating himself again. Examining the contents, Henrietta nodded in Satisfaction.

"Right, everything is in order and accounted for." Pulling a slip of paper from her breast pocket, she handed it to Ron. "I believe this piece of information is for you. I'll leave you to it."

"Yep, got it covered." Memorizing his bit, Ron handed back the paper to Henrietta, which was then crumpled and thrown in the trash bin. "I guess that's about the end of our business today, is it?"

Henrietta nodded. "Yes Ron, that's all for today, thanks. I'll send a good word to your head office for you. Well done, and thank you for the humor, it was much needed." She stoop, presenting her hand to be shook, an opportunity which Ron gladly took.

"No problem Henrietta, I'll see you next time, and thank you."

Exiting the office and entering the elevator, Ron couldn't help but scream to the world "A-Booyah!"…which of course Henrietta could hear from her office. She smiled and dialed a few numbers on her phone…

"Hello, yes, Penney? Henrietta here…About your new runner, Ron Stoppable…yes…mark him down for more of my jobs as quickly as you can. I like his style…alright…thank you again…bye."

* * *

"Right Pence, I'm out and on the run. Anything else for me today?"

Blip "Nope, not much, but you certainly must have made quite an impression on Ms. Beck there. She just called to make sure more jobs were sent your way."

"Booyah! Sweet deal, thanks Pence."

Blip "Oh, and Rook, Naked Man looks like he could use some cheese picked up on the way back to home base. He's been drooling over this gourmet cheese site I showed him earlier and I haven't been able to get him away from it since."

Ron laughed and smiled, "Right, that's my, um, Naked Man. Wow, that sounds wrongsick."

Blip "Definitely. We'll think something better up later on if need be."

"No worries Pence. Just let the Naked Man know I'll pick up some Gouda on the way back. I'll catch you two later today, the Rook's gotta do a little exploring."

Blip "Gotcha, Rook. Pence and Naked Man, out!"

Ron tightened his shoes a little, threw on his sunglasses, pressed a button or two on his earpiece to queue up some Alexisonfire, and took off for a sweep of the downtown area.

* * *

Ron had just hit his third alleyway, when he came to an abrupt halt in a bit of a daze. He could have sworn there was another runner round the corner at the end of the alley. Not one to pass up an opportunity to meet another runner, Ron muttered to himself, "Let's go say hi."

Tearing off down the alleyway, vaulting garbage cans and the like, Ron rounded the corner, only to catch a glimpse of gree and black round the corner.

"Shego!" Was Ron's first thoughts. Who else wore black and green of that color? Ron couldn't believe his luck, or lack thereof. He could follow Shego, and maybe save Kim the trouble of coming down here to do the job. Of course, this was in the event that nothing went horribly, horribly wrong, as sometimes did happen with Ron. With new puroise, Ron rounded the next turn and found,,,

Nothing?

The alleyway was empty, no trace of Shego in sight.

"Awww, man. Just when I thought I got a break…"

_CLANG_

Ron's head snapped up toward the sound to catch a feminine leg clad in green and black disappear over the ledge of a building.

"Ah, great. She had to go vertical, just my luck. Well, let's see if that training was put to good use." Ron stepped back, took two steps into the alleyway, and stopped, scratching his head. "Um, the only question is, how do I get up there to follow her?" Ron tried to 'see the route', as Kenu had tried to drill into his head not long ago.

_Flashback_

"_Ron, come over here and tell me what you see."_

_Kenu and Ron had just jogged around the block one last time during the day's training. They were now stretching out the kinks and sore muscles near a local basketball court where some kids were playing. Ron sat up from his stretch and moved to sit next to Kenu, who was seated against a tree stretching his legs._

"_Um, there;s a school, a flagpole, grass, cars, lamp posts, ab…" Ron trailed off, given the look Kenu was giving him. You know the look, the one that says, 'Do I smack you now, or in 10 seconds?'_

"_Kenu cleared his throat and continued. "Ahem, not what I meant Ron. You're a runner in training. Remember what I said about seeing routed a while back?"Ron nodded. "Well, that's what I want you to look for right now, and of course all the time. Pick a target and try to envision how you would get there. Here's the test, how would you get those orange boxers off the clothesline over there?"_

_Ron looked and saw the clothesline and the boxers. They were mounted several stories up from the ground. One end attached to a building, the other attached to a pole._

"_Well, I guess I'd just climb up the pole and get them." Ron stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world._

"_Too straight forward. And how would you get them. They're in the middle of the line and it won't hold your weight, you know that. You also don't have Rufus with you, so that's out of the question. Think again, how could you reach it without breaking anything."_

_That was one of Kenu's rules; you break it while running, you bought it, no exceptions. He said that too many runners take the terrain for granted and just tear it up, leaving the folks who own the buildings to deal with the damages. His crew doesn't roll that way, and it was his reputation on the line, so his word was law._

"_Um, okay then. Well, I'd hit the railings of the school, jump, grab the fire escape, clamber up, and then…I dunno…jump and hope I grab em before I hit the ground and roll out?" Ron only got so far with it before he ran out of options._

"_Well, you're at least on the right track, but not quite there. You're thinking a little more in 3D now. But look, that jump is too height even for me to miss without breaking something on landing even while rolling. I won't pester you more now, but I want you to start thinking in terms of limitations." Noting Ron's objection coming, Kenu continued quickly,"I say limitation, not weakness. There's a difference. If you know your limitations, and can envision yourself moving in your mind, you can create a route fit for you at that moment. The best of them can envision ghosts of themselves on the route before they hit a certain point, and some of them can even…" Kenu shook his head as to clear it of cobwebs. "Well, I'm, just rambling now. Do you get the gist of what I'm saying Ron?"_

_Ron could have sworn Kenue's eyes looked hopeful in the last sentence he almost completed, but thought nothing more of it for now. "Yeah, I guess so. Myabe my mad gaming skills will pay off, eh?"_

"_Maybe Ron. Right, let's get back to base."_

_End Flashback_

"Okay, see the route, right." Ron's eyes took on that thousand yard stare, like when you're trying to see a whole room in one shot. Each obstacle was scanned for a split second, picturing the possible uses for each, and then mapped together with the next obstacle to move him to the final destination…until Ron's brain almost imploded and he abandoned the effort while he had about half the route up the wall done.

"Alright, here goes nothing." Queuing up 'Harder, better, faster, stronger' by Daft Punk on the earpiece, Ron started off.

Kicking off a trashcan, Ron grabbed a low-hanging piece of horizontal piping, pulling himself up on to it. Well, scrambling was more the word, as the pipe was not very wide, and Ron not known for his graceful maneuvers. Shimmying along with his back to the wall, Ron moved towards a bricked-up window ledge set above his head. Jumping off the pipe he perched on, Ron turned in mid-air to grab the window ledge. Now facing into the wall, Ron planted his feet as high as he dared given the slippery handholds. Peering over his shoulder, Ron spotted the rain gutter he had seen earlier in his search for a route.

The gutter was vertical, but looked sturdy enough to hold his weight. Pushing off hard with his legs and arms, Ron dove, twisting, toward the far wall of the alley. It was fortunate that he was perched set high enough at take off so that the gutter ran a few feet lower. Ron's hands found purchase near the bottom of the gutter, where he scrambled for some good foot holds as well.

"Holy cheese wheels, that actually worked!" Ron was incredulous at himself. He would have never hoped to have pulled that off a few weeks ago. Mustering his courage, Ron looked up to his desination. "Alright, upsy daisy!"

Ron proceeded to climb hand over hand (and foot) up the wall until he hit the top of the building. Pulling his tired-self over the ledge, Ron saw that Shego was running towards the ledge of the next building to jump across.

"Aw man, gotta jet." Ron started to a sprint as soon as his feet touched the roofing, taking the most direct route to his target. Shego seemed quite content with vaulting and springing over a few air ducts and vents on her way to the ledge, so that gave Ron a speed advantage. Heart pumping, legs burning, Ron was within tacking distance so he put on an extra burst of speed, arm outstretched to read her.

As if on some hidden cue, Shego looked back over her shoulder as she reached the ledge. Seeing a hand reaching for her, she spun away, leaving Ron to carry his momentum forward, over the ledge into oblivion.

"Waaaaaah, haaaaaaaaaa………..huh?" Ron screamed as he felt himself fall forward without a target to hold onto, headed over the ledge to a good fall. However, his scream trailed off as he found himself hanging in mid air. Specifically, the pressure around his waist said that he was being held by his belt in such a way he looked as though he were ready to run down the side of the building. A female voice interrupted his current state of shock.

"Woa, hey there mate. Quit squirmin 'round or I'll definitely drop ye!" The female voice came from behind Ron, tinged with an edge of annoyance and…confusion? Shego was never confused, well not often. And what was with that accent? Luckily, this thought stilled Ron's flailing limbs for further worsening his predicament.

"Ah, right. Shego, would you mind pulling me…"

The female interrupted him. "Shego, who in the Isle of Skye is that lassie?"

Ron, puzzled, continued, "You aren't Shego?"

"Nay, are ye daft man? Hold tight there, it's better we talk after yer back on solid footing. Bend that wee leg of yours and bring yet arms back on my count. Ready? One…two…three!"

Ron did as he was told, for you listen to anyone holding you by your belt over a four story drop into nothingness. Ron tipped backwards, tumbling head over teakettle in a tumble of arms and legs with the now mystery female. Shaking his head, Ron tried to take his bearings…

"Right, not that I mind this cozy position under different circumstances, but would ye kindly get yer wee butt OFF ME LEGS!" The female voiced her concerns much the way Professor Dementor would have. This crescendo of vocals caused Ron to react, scrambling to his feet. Brushing off his pants, Ron finally had a chance to look at the would-be Shego.

But this was definitely…not…Shego?

The young lady in front of him had a head of long black hair. Okay, so there's where part of Ron's confusion came in. However, the hair was two-toned from about halfway, the roots and such being bleached blonde, and all drawn back in a series of thick dreadlocks. Her lean face bore green eyes, freckles, a button nose, and thin lips. It was her choice of attire, that Ron found the most semblance to Shego. While it consisted of mainly black and green, and the green a close enough shade to Shego's own choice, the actual attire became an entirely different matter. Her top was deep green, black piping running down in weaving, spider web patterns. They coalesced on one shoulder, the piping pattern creating a rather uncanny effigy to an artist-rendered spider. The opposite arm and shoulder of the jacket was gone, leaving her pale arm bare save the single glove she wore. Her pants were another matter entirely. More of a Harlequin styling, one leg was green with a black knee patch with the other black with green. They fit snug, but more like a track pant and not like Shego's own catsuit. Her shoes were a toxic green with striped of darker green and black running along the sides and toe box.

"So, ye be done gawkin' or shall I give ye another wee moment tae pick yer tongue off the ground?" The smirking female voice broke Ron out of his internal contemplations. Looking up, he confirmed she was indeed smirking slightly, hands on her hips and tapping one foot to an unknown rhythm.

Sheepishly, Ron scratched his head, " AH, right. He he, sorry. I thought you were someone else."

"Well, who would ye think I be fer ye tae run after me like a wild haggis from a Scotsman?" This comment brought unwanted memories of his solo mission to find Kim's library book and the force-feeding of haggis by Duff Killigan. Gah, the shudders came involuntarily.

"Um, would you believe an international super-villain?" Ron shrugged at his own foolishness.

"Uh-huh, right. Ye not be paintin' the best picture of sanity here, my friend. Maybe if ye introduced yerself…"

"Agh, sorry, sorry. Ron, Ron Stoppable." Stricking out his hand, Ron was praying this girl didn't have Shego's glowing hands. She took his and shook, without so much as a spark, causing Ron to breathe easy inside.

"Ron, eh? The name be Roxy McIsaac." They parted hands, "So, ye just run off after international super-villains all the time? Or this a one time thing considering a wee bout of insanity?"

"Yeah, long story short, I sidekick with Kim Possible. Ever hear of her?"

"Aye, that I have Ron. So you're the infamous sidekick turned boyfriend, eh? Well, lucky for me yer pants stayed attached this time, otherwise I would've had quite the view as you fell over the edge there."

Ron decency to blush at that comment. "Well, he he, nothing a good Kevlar belt can't fix."

"Ha ha ha, I'll bet. So, yer a Runner are ye?"

"Yup, under Kenu Ru…" Ron never got to finish as Roxy jumped in.

"Kenu, as the THE Kenu Runn?" Ron nodded, startled by her energetic outburst. "That daft bugger's finally taken on another Runner eh? Well, good on 'im, he needs another hand on deck fer the coming storm, eh?"

"Uh, the weather looks good to me…" Ron trailed off, looking at the clear skies.

"I nay be talking 'bout that Ron. Ye know, the challenges, the w…" Noting Ron's perplexed look, Roxy paused, "Ye don't know, do ye?

"Know what?"

"Ah, sorry Ron, it was nothing important. Forget I mentioned it." Pressing forward on past it, Roxy continued, "So, ye must be new tae Running, eh?"

"How'd you guess?"

"Well, no one in their right mind would just run after someone headed fer this ledge. We all know there's nay a route off this side." She pointed to the ledge Ron almost took a dive off.

"Ah, right. I'll remember that. But why were you headed towards it then?"

"I was about to stop and take a look around when ye nearly tackled me. I be lookin' fer a team-mate of mine, thought maybe this be a good spot tae see-im."

"Ah, he's lost?"

"Nay, not lost, just out on a job. He's pretty new, like ye, so I just like to check up on him once in a while. He trained under me, so I got tae look out for the wee bugger sometimes." She crossed her arms and tried to look tough, but Ron could tell that she cared about whoever this Runner was.

"Ah, gotcha. Which group are you with Roxy?"

"Ah, sorry. Usually I do that right with my name, but I forgot due to, well, obvious reasons. Although, I should have guessed Kenu, the absent-minded bugger he is, would have neglected tae tell ye about the different teams."

"I seem to be hearing that a lot about Kenu lately." A bemused expression sat on Ron's face.

"Aye, and ye'll hear it pretty often until ye get the basics down. I'm with the Sky-Spiders, Specialty in Verts."

Scratching his head, Ron came back,"Ah, ya lost me on the Vert-whatsits."

"Oh for the sweet sake of saint…you're gonna have tae ask Kenu about that one. Don't press me fer it, as it's up tae the team leaders to decide what information gets passed around." She shrugged apologetically. Ron waved it off, though he was itching to know inside.

"No, that's cool Roxy. Listen, sorry about almost tackling you there."

"Ah, de-not worry 'bout that Ron. No harm done, and I got tae meet what looks to be a bonnie new recruit…"

'_BEEP BEEP BEEP'_

Roxy tapped the back of her glove a few times, revealing a screen with a readout on it. She sighed.

"Well, looks like I'm not done fer the day yet. That's HQ calling. Ron, pleasure meeting ya, and if you ever need any help again, just let out that girlish scream of yours, eh?" She added the last part with a grin on her lips.

"Hey, no fair, low blow!: Ron put on a mock-fierce face, but lost it as he accepted it, "Alright, will do. " Grinning, he added, "Thanks for the maple branch, Roxy."

"You mean Olive branch?"

"Right, that too."

Roxy shook her head in amusement, "I'll be seein' ya Ron, catcha ye later!"

Roxy took off toward the next rooftop, back the way they had arrived, and dropped out of site in a nearby alleyway. Ron sat back on his haunches, taking in the view for the first while.

"Well, that was quite a firest meeting. But hey, I got something out of it." Ron brushed his hair back, "Well, let's go see if there's any more around. And this time," Ron added as an afterthought, "I'll be introducing first, tackling later…should it come to that."

* * *

ANother one done Stoppable fans. On the road again for me. Later days.


	9. Welcome to the ARC

I'm back, I'm back again. This might be a new record for me, two chapters in under a week. Well, maybe not, considering its been much longer than that now but it certainly is a positive situation compared to the last year or so I've had this story in limbo. I've really got to start getting into the meat of things now, and Ron is about to get caught up in things not of his own design. Part of this chapter was written prior to my typing it in, and part of it just done 'off the cuff'. I hope I'm moving in a reasonable direction here, but keep me posted if I'm doing anything out of character or beyond reason.

* * *

Ron, stretching himself out, gazed out over the city from the view he was afforded from the ledge. This was the same ledge not a few moments ago he had nearly careened over. If not for Roxy, he would have been flatter than sliced pepperoni on the pavement. Not a comforting thought. The ledge provided Ron with an overview of the general area for about two blocks in either direction, as most of the buildings were either of the same height or lower in this area.

"Now, where haven't I been?" Ron ticked off his fingers as he went through a list verbally, "Kenue's, done to death. Local shops, also done. Business district, too busy this time of day. School yard, been there, nothing to...what the hell is going on there?" Ron squinted, then jumped up on an air-conditioning unit to gain a better vantage point. What he saw quickened his heart and had him nearly jumping off the ledge.

About half a block away, a black and green clad Runner tore into view, sprinting hard. At first, Ron thought is just might be another Runner with a deadline they had to make. This was quickly ruled out as three runners clad in variations of blue and silver came belting after the lead runner, closing the gab with surprising efficiency. Ron could now determine the lead runner was male, so that was a start at least. It almost looked like they were herding him. In Ron's mind, only one of two things could be going on. One, the lead Runner could have antagonized the chasing Runners by stealing something from them, and they were simply trying to get whatever it was back. In this case, Ron would have had no business intervening in the matter. The second scenario was that the lead Runner was being chased by the blue and silver Runners for malicious intents. Eyes glued, Ron waited for the signal that would confirm his gut feeling. The lead Runner went down hard, spilling over onto the pavement after a botched frantic vault. Scrambling to his feet, the Runner in green and black was almost trampled by one of the chasing Runners who came down in a deliberate stomp. That was the straw that broke, well, Ron's back. The lead Runner was in trouble, and after so long in the world-saving business, Ron couldn't just let this play out and ignore it.

A grim line on his face, Ron tensed and moved...fast. Jumping off his perch, Ron headed for he immediate left, Running along the edge of the building, looking for a way down. Rounding the first corner, Ron caught sight of the fire escape for this side, a street-light, and a fence separating the two. Not thinking too much usually led to embarrassment or some other undesirable situation for Ron in the past, but in this case, it probably saved him from getting injured. If Ron had actually stopped to think about what he was about to do...well, he wouldn't have done it. Ron leapt off the building, hitting the fire-escape with a roll. Keeping with the forward momentum, Ron slid down a few flights of the fire escape on his elbows and shoes, this was the fastest way Kim had taught him to get down the stairs when dodging goons in lairs. After two flights, Ron perched on a railing, facing the street-light and fence that spanned the gap in between them. As he was still higher than the top of the fence, Ron pushed off, landing atop the fence for a slip second before continuing with another push towards the street-light. This jump turned into a dive, and the move Ron performed almost every day for the last few weeks at Kenu's pad slipped into his mind with ease, guiding his movements. Ron, grabbing the street-light as he passed it, spun around and around until he hit the ground, fortunately in the right direction he needed to continue his journey. Still not thinking clearly, or fully, Ron took off in a dash in the direction he had seen the green and black Runner headed towards, hoping to head them off. Dodging people, benches, dogs, and other obstacles, Ron moved quickly, not even pausing to excuse himself as he normally would have, such was his single-minded focus. An old man, who's suitcase Ron used as a springboard in passing, would later claim that as he yelled at the young man for blowing past him in a huff, the man looked back a stared at him with blue eyes that glowed. Of course, that couldn't be the case, could it?

Passing by some chain-link fencing, Ron kept glancing right into the school yard he had spotted the Runners in first. Unfortunately, it looked like they had vacated the area. Slowing slightly to a jog, Ron scanned the area, hoping to find some clue, some piece of...

"AGGGGGGHHHHH!"

A scream of pain brought Ron out of his momentary panic. Whipping his head toward the sound, Ron made towards it, across the road. Fortunately for Ron, the lights on one side of the road was red so most of the vehicles were slowed or stopped. Playing an impromptu game of hopscotch with their hoods and roofs of cars and truck alike, and spinning around some like a linebacker, Ron made it across the road in one place, headed for the alleyway he thought he heard the cry for help come from. Slowing to a jog, Ron made his way down the alleyway towards a turn, guided by the all-too familiar sounds of flesh bludgeoning flesh. Creeping forward now, Ron neared the corner of the alley to be greeted with the sounds of malicious laughter. Calming his breathing, Ron peered around the corner. What he saw made his blood freeze and boil, all that the same three Runners in blue and silver garb had the other Runner cornered. They were taking turns giving him a kick here or a punch there. The one on the right would dangle something in his outstretched arm toward the downed Runner, who would snatch for it, only to be bludgeoned again by another of the trio. Ron couldn't stand it much more, watching another should get beaten and battered, watching a nasty bruise start to form on the victim already. He had enough! Mustering whatever courage, adrenaline, and raw nerves he had left, Ron strode out into view of the alleyway. Using a volume of voice he usually saved for celebratory cries of booyah, or calling out to KP, Ron spoke out,

" Hey, lay off!"

The three in blue and silver froze for a moment, then turned slightly to look at the intruder who dared ruin their fun. This let Ron get a better look at their persons.

The one on the left was decidedly female. She had short-cropped, spiky-orange hair that looked like it was heavily-gelled, enough to almost look sharp and shining in the low light of the alley. Piercings in her nose, lip, and ears completed her porcupine-esque look quite well. Her half-sleeved top was undone most of the way, to the point of indecency revealing her rather ample cleavage. Her pants looked almost pained on, super-low cut to the point that Ron could tell she wasn't even wearing a thong. Luckily, Ron didn't have to force himself to look away as he had more pressing matters to deal with.

The middle runner was the shortest of the three, but also the most well-built. He wore a silver tank-top, displaying shoulders and chest muscles befitting a power-lifter or gymnast. Both arms and chest were plastered with tens, if now hundreds or tattoos. Ron though that they might even run down his back as well. His pants were simply blue track pants with silver stripes running across the fronts horizontally, giving the impressing his legs were also massively built. His head was shaven clean, glistening with a few beads of sweat running off his nose to hit the ground.

The third, to Ron's right, was what looked to be the most dangerous of the three. It wasn't the way he was dressed, which was simple at best; A blue and silver track suit with single silver striped running down the arms and legs, clean and pressed. It wasn't the way his leaned casually against the alleyway wall, sticking whatever it was they had taken from the beaten Runner in his pants pocket with deliberate slowness. Even his hair was simply, normal, just black hair swept back with water, sweat, or gel, whatever was the case. No, Ron was more focused on this Runner's eyes and mouth. One was drawn back in a smirk he had only seen on super villains trying to take over the world, particularly the one Monkeyfist had when he pretty much went insane after the Yono's power. Ron could ignore that smirk though, as this Runner's eyes bore deep into his very soul. They were black, nothing more. It was just white with a pool of black, no color whatsoever. He never blinked, not once. It unnerved Ron, shook him down to his very core. Then, he spoke.

"Ah, more cannon fodder, eh B?" The one with the black eyes had a voice like oil, or tar, oozing as he spoke with unnatural smoothness, no hint of an accent of any discernable origin.

"Hn..." The short, stocky one grunted a reply. Apparently he was the strong, silent type.

"The female spoke up now as she toyed with her jacked, nearly un-doing it all the way, revealing she also wore no bra. "Yeah, you got that right, B. Not much to look at, is he, A?" Ron pieced together that the leader, the cold one, was A, the stocky one B, and the female C. What was this, the alphabet gang?

"No, no his is not." A, the leader, gave Ron the chills ever time he spoke with that overly-smooth voice, as if every word was thought out beforehand in both context and delivery. "He looks very...green to me. Not just around the gills, either." he paused, glancing at C for a second. "C, why don't you go say hi to our new..._friend_." The last words was emphasized in a way Ron knew was just plain miles of bad road.

"Hn..." The one called B grunted and moved towards Ron, cracking his knuckles as he went. Even being a good 2 or 3 inches shorter than Ron, his width across made him look extremely formidable. This goon reminded Ron of the countless others he and KP had beat up on missions, albeit somewhat reluctantly on his part. This time though, Ron strangely didn't feel the fear he normally would have.

When still a few strides back from Ron, B rocked back on his heels, then shot forward with surprising speed. His monstrous arms were outstretched to either side, and for a split second Ron thought he saw the jaws of a great bear flash across his vision. Luckily, this didn't deter Ron from reacting. His body almost moved autonomously, bringing his foot up in unbidden instinct. B's face and the sole of Ron's foot met, and then B kissed the ground as Ron forced his foot down to the ground. This caused three reactions. In Ron, he was in slight disbelief that he did such as thing, snapping out of his focus he had been clinging to desperately until that point. C, the girl, gasped a little, and began to shake slightly. Whether in rage on in fear, Ron couldn't say, but he had his suspicions considering the circumstances. A, well, A had nearly no reaction. He just smiled wider, his eyes gaining a little glint in them as they widened slightly, before he spoke.

"Well, that was...unexpected. Since B's just introduced himself, perhaps you'd like a chance, eh C?"

Ron looked at the girl once again, and it confirmed his earlier suspicions. Her teeth were grinding together, fists clenched so tight her knuckles were ghostly white, and her shoulders shook violently with each breath. Oh yeah, she was definitely pissed. And Ron was the source of her bane.

"Gladly!" She said, her swamp-green eyes locked on Ron's own chocolate ones. If one word could have struck more trepidation in Ron at that point, Ron didn't know what it would be. He now figured he knew what it was like to be a rat cornered by a cat.

'_Oh maaaaan!_' Shot through Ron's head just before she moved.

Quicker than he could react, C had reached into her pockets and unleashed two handfuls of round pellets at Ron in a spray. Given what the previous Runner had termed a 'hug', Ron was certain he didn't want to find out exactly what those little black pellets could do. The spray of pellets spread out, engulfing most of the space around the alleyway. There wasn't much Ron could do as he backpedaled as fast as he could. Luckily, the Ron factor kicked in and he slipped on a tin can, which inevitably may have saved his skin this time around. He fell back, wind-milling his arms as he went until he hit the ground with a thud. Dazed, Ron watched as in slow motion as the tiny dots floated past his vision where he stood just a moment ago. After they passed, time sped up again, and they hit the wall.

_THOOM!_

As he tilted his head to see the impact, a wash of light, sound, and flame assaulted his sensed. A spray of brickwork covered Ron's chest as he blinked to rid his eyes of the white spots they now had, and the ringing in his ears. Ron pushed himself to his knees and brushed himself off, couching slightly with the dust now filtering through the air.

"Wheeeeeeew." The low whistle grabbed Ron's attention back to the leader, A. "Very impressive boy. But I fear that now, C wants a kiss." A stated this last bit almost apologetically.

Ron was confused, but darted his eyes instinctually to find C. She was not where she stood before.

'_Crap_' Ron thought, '_Where did she..._'

"Keeeeeeeeeeaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!" A banshee's scream snapped Ron's head up to behold C in all her terrible fury. She was bearing down on him from above, as she must have jumped before Ron could spot her. The vision of a screaming ghost snapped across his vision for a split second before he caught sight on the second barrage of explosive pellets she had unleashed upon him from above. Ron was already on his knees, so moving would be nearly impossible. All he could do was curl up into a ball before he was swallowed by light, sound, and flame.

C landed at the edge of a wall of smoke where her target must have lay incapacitated. She panted, a grimace twisting her face.

"You know," A started as he walked towards her, "You didn't have to go that far with the boy. He was obviously a rookie." He sounded bored with the whole ordeal.

The banshee named C whirled to him, eyes wide, teeth clamped. She spoke in a broken, torn voice, "But he...hurt...B!"

"Hmmmm, true. You have a point." A tapped his chin thoughtfully, "Speaking of which, get him to his feet, we've got what we need here." A patted his pants pocket where the package they stole lay. "Although, it was rather unfortunate I did not get to introduce myself. Perhaps, if he survives..." A trailed off, eyes taking on a faraway look.

C slung one of B's arms over her shoulders to help him along, as he was beginning to come around. The trio moved around the smoke-filled area and around the turn, A bringing up the rear. A glanced back, through a gap in the smoke to see Ron's hand twitch, and his eyes flicker open to catch his for a brief moment. A malevolent grin appeared on his face, all glazing removed from his eyes as he walked away...the eyes of a demon lingering in Ron's mind as he succumbed to the darkness.

* * *

Ron groaned.

His back felt like it was on fire, literally. He felt something cool against his cheek. It was wet.

It felt nice, soothing against the aches he had...well, everywhere!

he briefly recalled images in his mind.

A Bear.

A Banshee.

A Demon's Eyes.

Black and Green.

Fire and Light.

Ron tried, but he couldn't put the pieces together, not yet, not now. His head hurt too much for that.

He felt himself lifting, through no effort of his own. Nearly upright, Ron's eyes fluttered open to take in two green eyes peering back at him. Then, all was black. Consciousness left him, and he embraced the soothing lack of pain it brought with its absence.

* * *

"He's in pretty rough shape. Well, his clothes are at least!"

_A pair of voices pierced the veil of foggy sleep that covered and concealed Ron's mind from the painful being that was the waking world. It stirred him to semi-awareness, increasing every second._

"Hey, if he wasn't wearing full gear, imagine what would have happened?"

"Wheeeeeeew, ya got that right. Burnt hair would have been the least of his worries."

_The low whistle cleared Ron's head a bit more. He could start to feel his body again, as much as he didn't want to. The sensations of limbs and corporeal existence coalesced slowly into being around his mind as if he was being pieced together from fog and dew on grass. It didn't feel very good once the pain started setting in._

"Lucky we got him back here. We've got some of the better facilities to handle these sorts of wounds."

_Wounds_. _That must be why Ron felt so bad. His back still felt as if on fire, but somehow not as bad as before...well...from what he could recall._

"Yeah, the chambers do wonders on the healing rate. Good thing we got in touch with Kenu to give the 'ok' to go ahead."

"Aw, he would have let us even without his consent. You know how protective he can be of his team."

"True, true."

_Kenu. 'I wonder how he's doing?' Ron's thoughts were coming back to him slowly. 'Maybe he's back at the office talking to Penney and Rufus. I hope they're not worried about me. Wait, why should they be worried about me?" Ron's thoughts raged forward. 'Why am I in pain? Why am I hearing voices? What happened to me?' He frowned internally at this lack of info. Well, there's no use in worrying about that now. First thing's first, as Kenu would say. Time to take stock.'_

"How's the kid?" The two voices started again.

_'Arms, sore...but still good...what kid?'_

"He's fine. A little banged up, and he's got a stretched tendon in his neck, but he'll be running again in a day or so."

_'That's good.' Ron's thoughts brought up again, 'Wait, why is that good? Ah...legs, definitely ok. No real pain there luckily.'_

"He's a tough one, I'll give 'em that."

'_Feet, okay too.'_

"Granted, he should have just let the package go when he got caught. But at least he thought to press the panic button for help."

'_Neck and back, well, one out of two ain't bad.'_ Ron's back still felt like mincemeat.

"Yeah, we got to them too late though. I wish we could have been there to take those bastards down a notch."

'Head, as good as can be expected, considering I feel like I just went through a three day marathon of Zombie Mayhem with Felix. Ugh, could someone get me some drugs please?'

"True that, man. True that…"

The voices faded off with footsteps, leaving Ron with just his own thoughts again. With no sense of time, Ron didn't know how much had passed, or even if he was fading in and out of consciousness.

'_At least my head is cleared up a little.'_ The thought spurred Ron's thoughts back into trying to figure out what happened for him to feel just this bad.

'_There were eyes…black eyes…ugh, move past that Ron, what else? Green…and black…Shego! No, hold on Ronster, definitely not Shego…a Runner…R-R…Roxy?…Yeah, that's it, Roxy! Then…a school? Why would a school be in there? And kids playi…no, not kids…Runners…chasing? Green and black again…not Roxy though…a different Runner…chased…blue and silver…Yeah, that rings a bell…'_ Everything in Ron's head started making sense now. The chase, the small scrap, the three Runners in Blue and Silver that attacked him, all of it set in order. The clouds of confusion drifted away like a fog burned off in the morning sun.

'Well, at least I know what happened now. I hope the kid's okay. He couldn't be much older than Kim or me. Got kicked pretty bad too.'_ Ron just couldn't keep his thoughts off of others, even when he was sitting in…_

'Wait, where am I again?'

_Finally, Ron's thoughts caught up with his situation. He was somewhere, surrounded by voices of people he didn't know, in about as much pain as he had ever been, and he was thinking about someone else's problems first?_

'I must have gotten hit harder then I thought. Well, let's try to pry open these eyes and see where I am.'

_Ron's eyes fluttered open to the pain-inducing glare of halogen lamps. Oh how Ron hated those lamps. There were used by every villain in every lair Ron and Kim had ever infiltrated. They were just waaaaaay too bright to be necessary…EVER! Blinking the tears from his eyes, Ron's vision slowly came into focus._

_Shapes…_

_Colors…_

_Clarity…_

_Glass tube Ron was inside…_

'Wha?'

Eyes finally cleared up enough to notice some level of detail, Ron took a closer look at his closest surroundings. He was inside a chamber, a tube of some kind, the front made of glass. The inside was padded, much like a bed, or an insane asylum's walls. Ron idly hoped that whoever put him inside this had the former in mind, not the latter. There were vents inside the chamber next to Ron's head on either side, and a panel with buttons on it…one green, one yellow, one red…and what looked to be some sort of view screen and speaker combo. Looking down, Ron saw he had an I.V. tube in his arm with some fluid running through it. Fortunately, there seemed to be at least some air in Ron's current place of rest. This meant Ron didn't panic…

…_too much._

"W…cough, cough, ugh. Man, I can't even talk straight. My mouth feels like sandpaper. Blegh!" Heart still beating wild, Ron took a look outside his glassy containment. The glare on the glass prevented Ron from seeing much. What he could see though, he could piece together roughly what he was looking at. The place was what looked like a rough medical bay. White and light green walls and beds, bright lights, concrete flooring, cabinets, and a few bodies. Two of the bodies were on beds, the other one was leaning over a desk, dressed in a white lab coat.

'Doctor…perfect…maybe I can get some answers.' _Thought Ron. He tapped on the window with his knuckles to get their attention._

TAP

_No result._

TAP TAP TAP

_Nothing, nodda, zip._

BANG BANG BANG

The doctor's head came up. Ron waved, smiled sheepishly, then went back to rubbing his bruised knuckles. The doctor put down the clipboard they were holding and walked towards Ron's cell. As they moved closer, Ron could finally glean some details…or lack thereof. Blonde hair, blue eyes, full-rimmed glasses, collared shirt, khaki pants, white lab coat, and various other gadgets normally found on doctors…and male, definitely male. The broad shoulders, stubble, and swagger gave it away rather distinctly. The doctor, stopping in front on Ron's containment, smiled, and spoke.

"Ah, Mr…Stoppable, I believe?" Ron smiled in confirmation, "Glad to see you awake. Of course, given your damaged condition it was probably better that you stayed out of it completely for the first twenty-four hours."

"That bad, huh?" Ron asked with a wince marring his face. The doctor nodded in acquiescence.

"Yep, nothing life threatening, but definitely painful." Reaching around the side of the container Ron was in, the doctor must have pressed a few buttons, as Ron heard the beeping noises they made. After a slight pause, the doctor continued, "Well, it looks like you're healing up nicely. The bio-scanners put you at about seventy-five percent…BEEP…make that seventy-six percent fixed up. You'll be ready to get out of there in another twelve to fourteen hours, tops."

"Uh, cool. But, just run through again just where I am exactly…for…um…well, me I guess." Ron sunk his head a little.

"Ha ha ha ha. No problem there Mr. Stoppable…"

"Just Ron, would be good."

"…Ron, right then. Well, you are currently in the medical wing of the ARC. And this lovely little contraption here is a modified version of a Hyperbaric Chamber. We call it the 'CAN' for short, should you hear the term."

"Ah, cool. Now if you could just…"

"…Explain what I just said?" The doctor grinned at Ron's nod, "Sorry about that, I forget that this is your first time here, and that you work under Kenu. I swear, if that man were any more absent-minded he'd look like a piece of swiss cheese." Ron chuckled at the amount of times he was hearing this same piece of information lately.

"The CAN is basically a healing chamber. The increased pressure, oxygen levels, and the I.V. in your arm help increase the healing ability of the body by about eighty percent. We didn't want to scare you by putting you in the U-W-CAN. We figured being submerged in fluid when you woke up would be quite a shock to the system. As for the ARC, that stands for the Allied Runners Co-operative. We're a facility of smaller Runner organizations and independents that aim to help each other out by banding together, pooling resources and the like. Normally this type of facility, especially the medical side of things, is only made available to larger groups of Runners, so it's a huge boon in our line of business. So, does that about cover the explanations for the time being…Ron?"

Shaking his head at the new influx of information, Ron nodded hastily, "Uh, yeah, I think I got it…um…what's your name again?"

"The name's Doctor Hammel. I'm the head physician here at the ARC."

"Well Doc H, thanks for fixing me up. Um, by the way, was there another Runner that came in here the same time as me? Black and green, about my age…"

"Yep, definitely. He checked out right after he got in. Mostly just bruises and stretched tendons. I told him to stay off the running until tomorrow to make sure, but he'll be absolutely fine…well…stiff in the neck, but fine."

"Ah, excellent." Ron said as the doctor checked some more instruments around the CAN. After a moment of silence, the Doctor continued.

"So, Ron…how about some real food, eh?"

"Aw, dude, you read my m…"

GRRRRRRNNNNNNNNNNNMMMMMMMBBBBBBLLLLLLEEEEEE

"…ind. Ah heh heh."

"Sounds like your body agrees with you. Let's get you out of that thing for a while, cleaned up, fed, stretched out, and then back in for your last session. That sound okay with you?"

"Well, aside from having to get back in here, some snackage sounds excellent!"

"Alright, out…you…go!" Doctor Hammel said between each press of a series of buttons. After the last button, the front of the CAN flipped open from the bottom with a pop and a hiss. With the Doc's help, Ron stepped clear, had the I.V. removed, and popped his ears from the change in pressure. Gingerly stretching out his back, Ron listened to Doc Hammel's instructions.

"Alright, so for food, you want to head out of the medical bay and to the right. Toilets just to your left in here, just there." He pointed to some doors in the medical bay marked with the obvious toilet signage. "And there's some showers in next to the toilets." As if anticipating Ron's next question, he added, "You'll find some generic gray sweats in the cabinet over there. Top one tops, middle one pants, and bottom is towels."

"Booyah, Doc. Now if you'll excuse me, the Ron-man is itching for a wicked-awesome shower!"

As the door closed, Doctor Hammel could hear the sound of water being turned on, and then the whisperings of a satisfied 'Booyah' from his young patient.

Several minutes later, Ron emerged wearing some basic gray sweats with an M emblazoned on the pants and shirt. Ron figured it must stand for the medical bay. He also wore no shoes, as the cool tile floor felt good on his feet… and he couldn't be bothered to ask for any since his were nowhere to be found.

"Alright, Ron, I need to get back to filling out some paperwork and making sure the CAN is ready for you later. Think you can handle getting fed and a bit of exploring on your own?"

"No problem Doc, just let me and my nose do the work." Ron's stomach grumbled again, "Ah-heh, and of course, my stomach."

"Ha ha ha, alright Ron. I'll see you back here in about an hour?"

"Sounds good Doc. Later, and thanks again for the mad healing mojo."

Calling after him and Ron walked out through the Medical Wing's double doors, Doctor Hammel added, "Just remember, if you pop any of those wounds now it'll just take longer to get back on your feet." Ron simply stuck a hand up in a wave through the grass windows of the swinging doors as he half-trotted, half-ran towards the food court.

* * *

Ron found himself walking in a hangar bay of some sort, or maybe even an old train station. The ceilings of this place were huge, criss-crossed with walkways and the like from various entryways and exits along the structure's walls. There were people, Runners mostly, walking these skyways in every which way Ron could discern. They all eventually led to the floor, by some means or another. Some simply had slide-poles to come down, just like in a fire department. These were ones the Runners seemed to use the most, as there were similar ones that could be hung on to that shot the Runners back up on to the walkways again. 'I gotta try that.' Ron mused as he kept moving in the direction Doc Hammel sent him. The floor was generally open, well, save for one central hub that the Runners seemed to flock to. Some carried packages to the building, handing their goods through service windows to awaiting arms. The others received packages from the same windows. Ron figured it had to be some kind of central office for giving out the jobs. Passing this area by, Ron could faintly hear the sounds of training in the distance, but put that thought aside for a while as even moving this quickly was beginning to tire on his sore body. His muscles still ached, the cuts on his body were still only just sealed, stretching as he moved, and his head still rang like a bell if he stopped too fast.

_'And the Doc says this is 76 percent? I'd hate to feel what I was like before the CAN…MMMMMMM MMMMMM MMMMMMMMM! What is that bon-diggity smell?'_

At least, Ron's nose picked up a smell he was familiar with…well, at least he knew it was food. And according to Ron's still churning stomach, right now, any food was good food. Turning another sweeping corner, Ron came to an archway with a neon-signed pizza and drink above it.

"Food court, here I come!"

Inside, Ron found a typical cafeteria setup, but with one slight difference…there was every kind of foodstuffs imaginable being concocted, served, and consumed. Everything from New York style Pizza, to Vegetarian dishes, to Mongolian Stir-Frys were being dished up from vendors along the far wall. Ron had to wipe a little droop from his mouth before it started creating a puddle on the floor. Quickly deciding that just getting some food in him would suffice for now, Ron hit up the first stand with a relatively short line and ordered up some Chinese food. Fortunately for him, he had the forethought to pick up a fork along the way to an empty seat.

_'I still can't get the hang of those stick-thingies. Even the Master Lunch-Lady from Yamanouchi couldn't teach me to use those things. And besides, if I don't get some food in me quickly, I'm going to start using my hands.'_

"Time to tuck in!" Ron stated to himself as he practically dove into his plate of Asian-inspired heaven on earth. If anyone would have tried to take Ron's food at that point, it's pretty certain they would have lost an arm in the process; such was Ron's pacing.

Another four plates of food later, Ron finally sat back and rubbed his swollen stomach in satisfaction.

"Aaaaah, that's the stuff. _BURP_! Woops, he he he, thar' she blows." Standing up and dumping off his paper plates in the garbage, Ron glanced at one of the clocks embedded in the wall. It's glowing red letters told him he had about 20 minutes left to kill before he ended up back in the CAN. "Well, I guess I should take a little walk around and see if there's something I can bring back to read or something. Hmmmm, I wonder if they have an arcade here?"

Ron wandered around the complex, taking in the sights and sounds of an office bustling with activity. It almost felt like one big mall the way all the shops and departments were lined along the outer walls with the center left relatively open save for some areas to sit down and of course the CDO, or Central Dispatch Office. There were even dorms on one section of the ARC, where for a small fee Runners could live-in or simply just rent a room for the night after a particularly grueling job. Ron also spotted a gym, three clothing shops, a bar or two, and about ten or twelve different team bases. Each base was a different size, some little more than a hole in the wall, while others nearly rivaling Kenu's operation in size. Most were pretty much a place to pick up job codes and chill out, while others took their own packages without going through the CDO. Ron figured some of the other teams didn't have the technology or the infrastructure to handle their own affairs, coinciding with what Doctor Hammel said the ARC was used for in the first place. But the cream of the crop had to be when Ron found the arcade. Well, it was part arcade, part internet café, part computer gaming center, and part portable gaming rental service. Ron almost drooled at the sight of rows upon rows of games and systems available to play, rent, or buy. He ended up picking up a little vintage Zombie Mayhem side-scroller on a handheld game pad. As soon as he mentioned the CAN, the guys behind the desk just nodded and said that anything for the medical wing patients was free of charge…well…charged out to the medical wing, in any case. With his entertainment package in hand, Ron headed back to the medical wing to get set up for his last run in the CAN with Doctor Hammel.

* * *

"Evening Doc H!" Doctor Hammel looked up from examining a patient's cast-entombed arm.

"Ah, Ron. Good to see you're back on time, and with a little more color in your face as well. That's good. How was your tour of the ARC?" Ron propped himself up on a free medical bed and pulled out his video game to set up his zombie-basher character.

"Bon-diggity Doc! The fourth plate of wontons really hit the spot. And I gotta say, the ARC is way cool."

"Glad to hear it Ron," Doctor Hammel spoke to the patient he was currently treating for a few seconds, and after they had lain down again, he turned to the matter at hand, "Right then, let's get you stretched out a little and then back into the final stretch in the CAN, eh?"

Ron groaned at the thought, but acquiesced to the Doctor's prodding and manipulations. Doctor Hammel put Ron through a series of basic stretches, nothing strenuous considering his condition. After taking down a few more notes, he proceeded to hook Ron up to a fresh IV line, had him drink some vile concoction, and lie back in the CAN. The CAN reclined back a ways until it was at the level Ron had been at when he woke the first time, not quite lying down, but not quite standing either. Of course, he managed to get one more washroom stop in, as well as make sure he had his Zombie-Bashers game in hand. As the hatch closed off, Doctor Hammel gave Ron some last instructions.

"All right, Ron, you have a further…10 hours left, approximately. If you need out for the washroom, hit the yellow button. This will detach the IV and open the hatch for five minutes. Then just reattach the IV to the machine when you get back in again. To recline the CAN further, just hit the green button. This will recline the CAN all the way back, dim the glass for lighting, and produce some white noise for sleep. It will automatically come back upright after your vital signs start to come back to consciousness. I will be in and out of the Medical wing all night, save for my own sleep of course, and the red button can be used in an emergency to contact me or any of my staff. You all set?"

"You got it Doc!"

"Right then Ron, well, happy Zombie-Bashing and good night."

"Night Doc." Ron said as the Doctor finished keying in a few extra settings to the machine, and then stepped away to greet what looked like a patient who hobbled in with a twisted or broken ankle. Ron quickly set in to his Zombie-bashing, but after-so much eyestrain, he hit the green button and prepared for sleep. Yawning, he popped his ears and welcomed the blackness.


	10. Requiem of the Past

Here's another chaper for ya.

"Ugh, gnnn, woah, hey!"

"Relax, Ron. I'm just giving you a thorough checkup before you get out of here."

"Well your hands don't have to be so cold, or find all those…ha ha ha ha ha, that tickles!"

Doctor Hammel just rolled his eyes and continued with the checkup. Ron had woken up just a little while ago. After checking Ron once, Doctor Hammel put him through a series of range-of-motion exercises, before checking Ron over one more time, as he was doing now. Luckily, it looked as though Ron made a full recovery, save for some lingering stiffness from being cooped up so long. He'd leave Kenu to work with Ron on that part, as no doubt the team leader would be anxious to do his own once-over on his new Runner. Doctor Hammel had to give the guy a grudging respect, he was nothing if not thorough when it came to his team's health and well-being. Ceasing his prodding and poking of a squirming Ron, Doctor Hammel checked off the last of his sheets on the medical chart.

"Well Ron, you're free to go. You've healed up marvelously, and fortunately no scarring from those lacerations. Just watch those muscles until they get nice and loose, and maybe continue with a hot and cold treatment for the next twenty-four hours."

"A-Booyah, Doc. Thanks for your help and all the mad medical mojo!"

Doctor Hammel stifled a chuckle at that, "No problem, Ron. You just take care of yourself. And if you need any help in the future, just let me know." He reached out and shook Ron's hand.

"You got it, Doc. See you around." Ron pushed open the door, his ruined clothing in his semi-torched and hastily stitched bag, and his prototype shoes on his feet. He still wore the plain gray track bottoms and top, as his original clothing was mostly in tatters, and of course un-washed since the incident. How he was going to pay for a new set of gear, he had no idea. The Naco money was still safely tucked away in his trust account until much, much later in life, and his meager savings probably wouldn't cut it. Maybe he had built up enough in the job payments to pay it off. He would have to check with Penney…PENNEY!

"Awww man, I knew I forgot something!" Ron sat on his haunches as he rummaged through his charred patchwork bag for his earpiece.

'_Why do these things always have to be at the bottom of the bag? Keys, rings, money, always at the bottom. Gah!'_

Finally, after strewing his flame-broiled garments across the floor in from of him, Ron procured his earpiece and fitted it to his ear. Somehow, either through design or some miraculous act of grace, the earpiece had been spared from all save one or two scratches.

Keying up the earpiece's power and volume controls, Ron pressed the call button and waited for Penney to pick up.

Blip "RON! OHMYGODAREYOUOKAYWHEREHAVEYOUBEENHOWAREYOUD…"

Ron winced and pulled the earpiece away from his ear until he figured it was safe enough to put back in. That whole rambling uncontrollably must be some female trait they all had in common. She must have been tweaked…make that, majorly tweaked, as she used his real name on a supposedly secure channel.

"Uh, hi Pence. What's up?"

Blip "What's up, WHAT'S UP? You're what's up! I've been worried about what's happened to you, Kenu hasn't stopped crashing around in his training room for the last forty-eight hours, and of course I've been running interference with Wade on Kim from coming down and finding out that we got her BFBF beat up and put in the CAN for nearly two days."

"Uh huh, well I can see how that would be…"

Blip "Stressful? Oh you better believe it, Ro…Rook." Heavy breathing came over the earpiece, slowing with each inhale and exhale, "Alright, sorry about that Rook. Listen, get your butt back here and see if you can get Wingnut to calm down long enough to talk."

"Yeah, what's wrong with him anyways. He's usually not one to get agitated no matter what's gone on. Is he okay?"

Blip "Hard to say, but you definitely need to get here and talk to him. I've made it clear there are some things that you need to now, and he's the only one who can tell you."

"Uh, Pence, you're kinda freaking me out here. What's all this about 'something to talk to me about' and 'stuff I don't know'. It was just an accident. I stepped into a brawl at the wrong time and got hurt, it happens all the time."

Blip "Ron…take my word for it. Get back here, and you'll find out what's going on…if you can get Wingnut to stop freaking out up there." A muffled thump came over the earpiece, followed what sounded like to be a cry of anger.

"Alright, Pence. I'm headed back now. If this turns out to be some prank or something though…"

Blip "Just get back here, Ron. You'll be updated when you get back. Pence, out!"

Ron frowned with the news he was just given. Not ten minutes out of the medical wing in the ARC, after being blown up and knocked out and generally messed up bad, now Ron had an irate Kenu to deal with…and of course then there was Kim. Oh boy, this was going to be a long day.

Setting off at a light jog to loosen everything up, Ron reached in his bag for his communicator, as it survived the bombing without so much as a scratch save a bit of charcoal coloring that wiped off easily enough. Ron keyed the menu for Kim's number and waited for her to pick up. It wasn't long, '_She must have had it on her.' _Ron mused as him girlfriend's gorgeous green eyes and flame-hued hair appeared on the viewscreen.

"RON!"

"Hi KP, what's u…"

"OHMYGODICOULDN'TGETINTOUCHANDIHADTHISBADFEELINGANDWADEWOULDN'TGETMEARIDEAND…"

'_Yep' _Ron mused_, _'_Definitely a female thing._' He waited for Kim to take a breath and then cut in before she could keep going.

"I'm okay, KP. Nothing major. I just got tied up with a few things around the shop with Kenu. Nothing major." He put on his best goofy grin to prove he was all right. Kim noticeably relaxed after getting her dose of Ronshine.

"Ron, are you sure? They couldn't tell me much about what you were doing and that made me worried." The puppy dog pout was hiding just below the surface of Kim's face. Ron knew that he'd spill it all if he didn't act fast.

"Uh, yeah, you know how it is, all that confetti-dental stuff with businesses and all that."

"You mean _confidential_, Ron?"

"Yeah, that too. Enough with the freakage, okay?"

Kim smiled and shook her head at her BFBF's antics. "Alright, Ron, I'll stop freaking out now. I gotta go too, Mom's calling for supper. I love you, Ron."

"Love you too, KP." Ron winked as Kim kissed the screen, leaving a set of lip prints on the screen before it shut off. '_Damn, do I ever miss those lips._'

Ron stuffed the communicator back in his pocket and set off for the exit, to find a cab, and get his butt back to Kenu's. Something was seriously messed up and he was going to find out what…whether he wanted to or now, apparently. Fortunately, this took his mind off of having to lie to Kim for the time being. The same as monkey kung-fu, he's tell her eventually, just not right now. He definitely didn't want to have to deal with Kim and Kenu at the same time. That would just be death ordered up with a side of eternal pain and suffering…and a hell of a lot of butt-kissing later on.

* * *

Ron eventually made it back to Kenu's base. Signing off on the cab-driver's charge sheet for the ARC Medical Bay's Expenses, Ron pushed open the door to the office and strode in…

"Hey, Pen…GAH!"

…Only to be met with a flying naked mole rat to the face. His chattering little buddy was excited, worried, and above all, relieved his master and best friend was back in safe doors.

"RUFUS, BUDDY!" Ron gave the mole rat a little hug against his cheek. It was good to have Rufus back in contact again. Sometimes he didn't know how much he missed the little guy until he was away for a while. "Did ya miss me?"

"Hnk, uh huh, uh huh!" The little mole rat nodded his head enthusiastically as he perched himself on Ron's outstretched palm.

"Awww, thanks little dude. I don't have any cheese, or even any pockets for that matter, but would you mind staying down here with Penney for now?" The disappointed groan that came from Rufus' tiny body let Ron know what he ready thought of that idea, but the little guy still hopped over to Penney's desk.

"Hey Penney, wish me luck?"

"You're going to need it Ron. Kenu sounds majorly messed up, even after a few days of cooling off…" _THUNK_! The noise coming from the floor upstairs rattled the lights, accentuating Penney's words like a lightning-bolt.

"Ah, heh, right. Well, catcha in a few…" '_If I make it out alive…_' Ron added under his breath as he turned and headed up the stairs to Kenu's training area. Taking the steps one at a tie, various thumps, thunks, groans, and crying out in effort…or maybe even anguish…could be heard more clearly. Ron's discomfort only increased as he stepped around a 45lb barbell embedded in the wall at the bottom of the staircase like a lance. Of course, the various shards of metal, ketllebell-sized craters, and other unidentifiable metallic items he had to sidestep on his way up the stairs did little to allay his growing trepidation.

Poking his head above the railings along the staircase entrance, Ron had to blink a few times to truly grasp the amount of carnage he was looking at. The exercise room Kenu had normally kept so immaculately tidy and clean was now the site of a war. More craters lined the walls, and even some pieces of the flooring looked indented and split underneath the thick rubber mats Kenu had put down. The lights flickered off and on, and not one piece of equipment was undamaged in some way. Wooden splinters stuck off in the punching bag like a porcupine had been embedded into it. Sparks caused a burst of light as something impacted another light, driving the room further into shadow. Even the much-prized audio system was cracked, the blue lights flickering on and off. Needless to say, whoever had done this was pissed, very pissed, and bleeding…such was the case when Ron looked at the cracked mirrors and the red stains they held.

"Uh, Kenu? You there buddy?" Silence, punctuated with heavy breathing came back to Ron's ears. "I'm okay now, Kenu. The guys at the ARC fixed me up real good and stuff." The breathing got louder as Ron moved towards the darkest part of the room. "Say, why don't we go cook up some Naco's? I figure I'll try some Marscapone cheese in them this time and…"

"I…I'm…_cough_…" A voice lined with gravel interrupted Ron's hesitant one.

"Kenu? That you buddy?" Ron squinted at the dark corner where he thought he heard the voice coming from. It came again, stronger this time.

"I'm sorry…Ron…_cough cough_…"

"Uh, yeah, right on. Listen, Kenu, whatever you're sorry for, we can talk it out later. Just come on over here and we'll chat once we get some snackage, hey?"

A shuffling and groaning stopped Ron from advancing any further. He stood on the edge of a flickering beam of light, listening…waiting. The shuffling sounded like footsteps, getting closer each time. A ragged breathing hitched and coughed as it neared the edge of the lighted area. Ron's own breath was coming faster now too, fueled by concern for his friend, and now fear for his condition and state of mind.

A leg moved into the light, bringing along with it a staggering, stopping and hunching Kenu Runn. Blood ran down one side of his face, staining his torn and tattered clothing. The man looked like he was about to fall over. Luckily, Ron somehow didn't run away screaming at his friends condition and was there to catch him as Kenu did exactly that, right into Ron's arms, taking them both to the floor.

"Hey, Kenu…Kenu! Come on buddy, let's get you patched up…wah!" One of Kenu's bruised hands fisted Ron's grey shirt like a vice. Ron kept still as Kenu's battered and exhausted visage looked up into his own face.

"Ron…I'm sorry…I never thought that you'd get involved so soon. _Cough_…I wanted to tell you, but I thought you might be able to…stay away from it all…"

Some sort of instinct kicked in for Ron. Maybe because he was on his own and couldn't rely on Kim or other professionals, but whatever it was Ron was thankful for the forcefulness it gave him at this point. "Kenu, I don't know what you're talking about. But right now, you've got to get some sleep. You look like a Zombie right now." Ron plucked Kenu's hand from his shirt and moved him into a recovery position he had learned from Sensei at Yamanouchi. Taking his bag off his shoulders, Ron stuffed it under Kenu's head as a makeshift pillow. He also took a first-aid kit from a surprisingly untouched section of wall and cleaned and bandaged the small wound on Kenu's head and torn knuckles. It was nothing that couldn't be fixed with a day or two of rest.

"Ron, I…"

"Listen, you can be sorry later. Get some sleep, then we'll grab some Naco's and talk about it. Cool?" Ron noted Kenu's dropping eyelids as a signal to move away and maybe get some real clothes on. The poor guy was too exhausted to even stay awake at this point.

After Ron let Penney know that Kenu would be okay and that he would be upstairs for a bit getting cleaned up. Rufus now on his shoulder, Ron stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel and a single thought running through his head like a freight-train out of control.

'_What could be so bad that Kenu would go that crazy?_'

* * *

"Grnnnnnn, ugh, felt like a mob just trampled me."

Kenu came to. Wincing at the glaring light in his eyes, the mentally and physically exhausted Runner cursed his own temper. Granted, while it was hard for Kenu to lose his temper these days, when he did…it was better to just let him work it out himself than try and stop him. Unfortunately, Kenu's conditioning and strength was to his disadvantage once his temper reached the breaking point.

His temper was such that if he was not totally exhausted that he would not calm down. Some medical specialists said it had something to do with an abundance of endorphin glands running through his system, and psychologists thought it had to do with his psychological state of mind…total bullshit if he said so himself.

Frankly, he didn't really care what it exactly was that caused the outbursts, so long as no one got hurt when he went off other than himself. It was one of his personal demons, and buy was he cursing that demon right about now.

"Sonofa…GAH…_cough, cough_, well at least it's not the worst I've had. Now if I someone would just turn off those cursed lights if could…"

"Get back to thrashing your own gym like a man possessed? Yeah, so not going to happen bro. You need to chill out!"

He recognized that voice, "Ron? Where are you bro?" Kenu attempted to roll over and look around, but with every muscle and tendon screaming at him, that effort ended rather abruptly with a long groan.

"Hey buddy, to your left. Just cleaning up a little of what you created. Ya know, if you wanted to redecorate you could have just hired someone to do so."

"Ha ha ha, OW! Ron please don't make me laugh right now." Kenu shifted his head to look at his impromptu janitorial service who was now pulling another piece of twisted steel out of another crater.

"No problem Kenu. The Ron-man's lips are sealed…but only if I get to ask one question."

Kenu figured this would be coming sooner rather than later, so now was as good a time as any. "_Sigh_. Well, I guess I owe ya that much. And as I'm now incapacitated until you decide to give me a hand, I guess I have no choice now do I?" Kenu felt a small weight run up and perch on his chest. He nearly had to go cross-eyed to see that it was Rufus standing there.

"Yep, uh huh!" The little mole-rat nodded his head with tiny paws crossed, one 'foot' tapping impatiently.

"All right, well, I guess I'll start with the obvious question, as to what happened here. Let's just leave it at, I have a very long fuse, but it's attached to a nuclear weapon surrounded by C4. Does that about cover it?"

"Yeah, uh, kinda on the vague side there, but basically we get the idea."

"All right, _grn_, now if I figure you're next question it would be why I flipped in the first place."

"Weeeeelllllll…"

"I'll get to the rest of it, just let me finish, Ron." Ron grunted a response, as he was busy cleaning up a few more pieces of now unusable drywall. Kenu continued his explanation after a few measured breaths, and a sip from a cold drink Rufus had somehow placed next to his head with a straw.

"Well, I guess I should begin with the basics. The ARC, or the Allied Runner's Co-operative, is exactly what it seems. It's a place for Runner's who can't completely support themselves, or have small or non-existent teams, to go and get access to facilities they would not normally have."

Ron saw fit to pause in his work of hauling mats up to interrupt, "yeah, uh, the Doc already gave me the rundown on that sitch."

"Good, but did the Doc also tell you that everything I just said was only one half of what the ARC does?"

"Uh, that'd be a no!"

"Uh huh, nope!" The weight of Rufus shifted itself on Kenu's chest. Apparently he had been filled in by Ron or Penney while Kenu was out of it.

"Well, that's because the ARC also serves as a safe zone during the War."

"Uh, dude, last time I checked, World War Two was over a long time…"

"Not that kind of War, Ron. I mean a War among teams."

"Uh, ya lost me right when you came to War again."

'_Grrrrrrnn'_ "Alright, listen up Ron. You know that at this day and age communication around that side of the world needs Runners, people like us to get information from point A to point B. There are also Rival Runners, you remember that, right?" Ron nodded his acquiescence.

"Right then, now I need to throw a darker side on things. These Rival Runners have formed crew, groups, bands, whatever. They're also looking to take over our turf, and also the information network. They're here to terrorize the other teams of Runners by any means necessary, and they're also after something."

"What could they be after that's so important?"

"That, Ron, is a damn good question. The only true piece of intel we have at this point is that RAWK is behind all of this, which means I'm part of all this too."

"Rock? What does guitars, drums, and bass have to do with all this?"

"Not the music genre, Ron. RAWK, or rather Reig N. Roch. We called him RAWK for short. He got out of hand and so I had to put him away." Kenu paused as if he was remembering something painful, "Ron…he was my first teammate."

"Wha?" Ron and Rufus' jaws dropped. How could someone associated with Kenu start a War?

"Yeah, he was the guy I formalized this Running business with. We were only small time then, just running for ourselves, helping small groups get started, training, you know the stuff. Everything was all guts and glory, parties, women, and good money coming in. Unfortunately, Rawk got out of hand after that." Kenu paused for a drink of water.

"He got too cocky, because he was the best. Even I couldn't keep up. He started charging more money for his jobs, and when they refused to pay or went to someone else, he'd sabotage the job and charge double to get the information back. He even started terrorizing groups, taking on full teams of individuals all by himself…and winning. These 'challenges', he called them, were supposed to weed out the weak Runners out of the game, claiming they weren't fit to be called Runners. Frankly, Ron, he was becoming a fanatic elitist, driven by the draw of being the best, the most powerful, the best. That was three years ago, when I put him away in a holding cell."

"You had him arrested?"

"Yeah, well, sort of. I had him held for his crimes by a freelance group, as no agency could find proof of what he was doing. But now he's out. Either the Mercs let him out, or well…this room would be a Martha Stewart decorating dream compared to what he would have left in his wake."

"So what happens now?" Ron had most of the slag picked up, now he was sitting on a pile of twisted metal and mats.

"Now? Well, we try to stay one step ahead, and hope that we don't get drawn into a challenge until you're ready."

"Ah, right, gotcha…I was getting worried there because I thought you said that we'd be going into these challenges voluntarily. Kinda had me worried there buddy." Ron rubbed the back of his head in his usual nervous habit.

"Ron, I did say that." Ron's eyes bugged out of his head when he saw the look on Kenu's face. Fortunately, his lungs did not fail him.

"WHAT?"


	11. Teammates

Here's another one folks. Hope you like it. I finally got time to do some writing after finishing my TEFL course. Whew, one more unit to go and then the certificate it mine. Ha ha ha.

Later Day, (Insert Disclaimer here.)

* * *

Two Days Later

"Alright Ron, let's go over this again." Kenu Rubbed his semi-bald head for another time this morning. Apparently, Ron was just not following what he had been explaining to the boy these past two days. "What's happening right now?"

"A War."

"Among whom?"

"Ummmm, the Runners?"

"Good, and who is behind all of this?" Kenu prompted Ron for a longer answer.

"Rawk, or Reig N. Roch, I think." Ron scratched his head as he lay sprawled on the bench seats of an empty subway car. Apparently, this one route was not used much on Sundays.

"You got it in one. Now, about the teams, how are they set up?"

"Ummmmmmmmm, he he he. Ya lost me there."

"Grrrrrnnnnnnnn, alright listen up. I'll say this one more time before we get there." Kenu settled on the opposite set of seats to begin explaining the team setup again. "There are different positions on each of the teams which generally consist of a Heavy, Slick, Goggles, Dash, Pointer, and Com. There can be more, but this is the basic setup."

"Six or more people, gotcha."

"Alright, each one of these positions has a job to do. The Heavy is the combatant of the group. They can take the most punishment, and in most cases deal it out too. They're useful for breaking through groups of enemies, protecting less robust Runners, or going for an ambush and taking out another Runner. Generally speaking, they're slower, but definitely not slow by any standards." Kenu shifted slightly, picking at his itching, but freshly healed, knuckles.

"Next there's the Slick. Any idea what they do?"

Ron paused for a moment in contemplation, and for a moment, just a moment, Kenu thought he would get it right, "Ummmm, they soak the other team in water so they catch a cold?"

…moment gone!

"Not even close…but creative though. A Slick is basically like a spy or thief. They can get into areas and tight spots that no normal Runner could pull off. They possess extreme levels of flexibility and agility, though little in the way of actual force. Some say they're useless in a team, but I beg to differ. I've used Slicks to get in, get the objective, and get out before the other team has a chance to react. Game over."

"Woah, cool!"

"Very cool, Ron. Next up we have the Goggles. Experts at mapping out the field in a single pass, a good Goggles can relay vital information to the team in order to make the best of a situation. Not only do they provide info on the terrain and battleground, but also on the perceived strengths and weaknesses of the team. They act as the tech support of the group, kinda like Wade is for you and Kim. They have to know all, see all, and be everywhere. Sometimes they work in tandem with the team's home base, or Com, who in our case would be Pence. She keeps everyone updated and connected with HUDs and the like."

"Ummmm, HUDs are what exactly?"

"Heads Up Displays, like in those video games. Guages and info on the screen while you're still playing."

"Ah, gotcha. Keep em coming Kenu."

"We then move to the Dash. As the name sounds, this is your speed demon of the team. They are unmatched at moving at high speeds, but sometimes lack the flashy movements available to other team members. If they get out in the open, there's pretty much nothing that can stop them. Unfortunately, most Runners who are designated as a Dash need to be reigned-in, as they tend to be a bit…eccentric. Basically, they can be hotheaded, confusing, arrogant, or pretty much any other extreme you can think of. Luckily, we should have access to one of the more stable ones."

"Next up, and finally, we have the Pointer. This is your Point man, or woman, as it is with some teams. They have an all-round skill set, with some area for specialization, and pretty much lead the teams. They've got the best feel for the field, the most experience in most cases, and the highest overall ability. They give the final calls for the team and make sure that everyone gets home safe. They can do all of the rolls pretty well, but not all of them to the level of the specialists. Do you think you've got all of that, Ron?"

"Um, yeah…Heavy, Slick, Glasses…"

"Goggles, Ron." Kenu blurted out.

"Goggles, right. He he he. Um, Flash…"

"Dash!"

"…Pointer, and Com."

"Well, you're close enough. That'll have to do. We don't really use those names, as everyone's seem to have a nickname of some sort these days. So, you've got the team members, or at least most of them. How about the support staff?"

"Ummmm, so aside from Pence, or the Com, there's the Medics, Gear-heads, and Rollers?"

"You actually got that one right. I'm impressed." Kenu gave a little mocking clap, causing Ron to 'humph' and cross his arms, "But seriously, they are the other part of the support staff. Medics are self-explanatory. Gear-heads keep us with top-notch gear, and replace gear as needed. Rollers are long-range transports. They make sure we get from point A to point B. For my crew, Pence prefers we use Alex." Both Ron and Kenu shuddered at that thought. "Aside from that, there's really not much to do than meet our team and get you into some mock matches."

"Uh, huh. About that, where are we headed? I figured the ARC would be a good place to meet up?"

"You'd be right in thinking that, but we want you in matches ASAP, so we're meeting at one of our practice battlegrounds. We'll start you off as soon as we get you acquainted. Why else did I get you to dress in full kit, Ron?"

"Yeah, I was kinda wondering that." '_I'm regretting it now, though._'

"Just relax, sit back, and I'll let you know when we get there." Kenu settled back as he said this, pulling the lip of his beanie down to cover his eyes.

'_Yeah, easier said than done there, Kenu._' Ron thought, as he tried to get comfortable for short nap.

* * *

"Ron, get up, time to get a move on there buddy." Kenu gave Ron's shin a light tap to get him moving. They had reached their destination

"Wha, wuzzat?" Ron pushed himself up from his semi-reclined position on the subway car's plastic seats. Staggering after Kenu, who was already moving out the sliding doors, Ron popped a few joints as he tried to wake up.

The two runners moved at a light pace across a few streets toward what Ron could only describe as some sort of abandoned lot, with a twist of course. The field was scattered with pieces of metal, concrete, and plastic slag, remnants of what Ron could pick out as various buildings, structures, vehicles, and even port-a-potties. Some structures were still somewhat standing, but actual windows were non-existent and of course most looked like they had undergone a failed demolition attempt. Ron even thought he could pick out the skeleton of a jungle gym and bits of scaffolding bolted to the side of one of the buildings. The landscape was mostly tarmac with some spots of greenery and dirt turning it into a Picasso-esque canvas of post-humanity at its finest. Strictly speaking, with the changes in elevation, mocked-up ramps, and the general scope of the landscape, it was pretty much a perfect landscape for practicing any type of trick, run, or team-based strategy conceivable.

"Perfect, isn't it?"

Ron started at Kenu's voice next to his ear, closing his gaping mouth in the process. He had been so caught up in taking in the new landscape that he had forgotten Kenu had stopped right next to him.

"Uh, yeah, it's definitely…something."

"Bah, no respect for good work. Ya know, we put this together years ago and now that we have some city trash guys on the Runner list, they keep us stockpiled with structurally sound pieces to work with. Sometimes they really come though, like with that over-sized seesaw on the Northeast corner or the scaffolding around the West side." Kenu vaulted over a piece of railing stuck to the roof of a car, landing on the other side in a light cloud of dust. Brushing off his pants, Kenu moved forward while Ron took a two-step approach to the eye-level vault, kicking off the open car window first.

"So Kenu, uh, when are the rest of team supposed to get…"

BLAM

Ron instinctively ducked at the sound, while Kenu actually jumped up onto a refrigerator to get a better look. To Ron, Kenu actually looked…estatic?

"Awwwwwwwww yeah. Come on Shockwave, send one over here ya big, blasted, sonofa….WUF!"

Kenu couldn't continue his insult as he was forcefully removed from his perch by what appeared to be some sort of cannonball to the gut. He landed in a cloud of dust and debris five meters back, rolled up into a ball around said projectile.

"Kenu, you !" Ron's concern for Kenu was soon diverted to his own hide as a shadow blocked his own, and continued to get larger. Luckily, all those years with Kim told him to do one thing with every fiber of his being…RLH, or Run Like Hell, for those of us not into Mon-Speak.

"Oh…this is so…not...cool!" Ron's vaulting, rolling, or somehow moving past obstacles on his way to some safer terrain punctuated each word set. After what Ron figured was a good fifty meters or so, Ron looked back, only to see a rather large figure in the distance turned black with shadow from the sun. Ron could still pick out that the big form was yelling something and pointing in his direction, but couldn't quite get the message. Out of the corner of Ron's eye, he could just pick out something foot-shaped moving at high speeds towards his most precious, though seldom-used noggin, which of course prompted the appropriate duck and roll reaction. Fortunately, this roll was more graceful after all that training with Kenu and Ron was able to keep running in the same direction after righting himself.

"What is with these people? Can't I just have a normal day for one on this trip?" Ron kept glancing over his left shoulder slightly. He kept catching glimpses of a lithe form twisting and moving past obstacles he probably couldn't hope to match. All the while the form was managing to keep pace with Ron, who was running at full speed.

'_Okay, definitely dangerous. Time to see if I can make my feet a-go go...go go Go Go GO GO GO GAH!_'

Ron had decidedly more motivation to keep moving faster, as in front of him at that very moment a green streak flashed into sight, blocking his path. Ron briefly caught a glimpse of a smirking mouth and a shock of orange hair before the character in green was streaking hell-bent towards him. Ron, just grabbed whatever he could find, which turned out to be a car door. Surprisingly, it actually opened when he grabbed it, so Ron went sliding around in a wide arc, inadvertently taking the man in green for a ride on his shoulder in the process, and flinging him off as the momentum changed again. Ron slid around the rest of turn, released the handle, and took off running as fast as his legs would potentially allow. Jump, slide, turn, vault, dodge, spin, and kick over whatever Ron had to do to get around he pretty much did. Through his peripheral vision, Ron could see the three forms he had just encountered pinning him in from all sides, the one in green right on his heels. They were soon joined by three others as well, some drifting off to catch up later, but always just out of range and reach. Eventually, Ron came to a sheer wall of concrete, one of the few remaining and definitely not scalable. It looked like the shadowed group had herded him here.

'_Dammit, another trap I fell into. Nice, Ron, real nice. Well, time to face the music…but that doesn't mean I can't do it in style.'_

Finally Ron came to the end of the line, looking back he saw that only one character had actually kept moving at full speed with him, and that was the greenish shadow, and he was gaining fast, arm outstretched as if to grab Ron. Well, Ron was having none of this.

"Eat tarmac, Snot-rag!" With that, Ron had reached the wall and the fingertips of his green shadow had nearly touched his hoodie. Ron tried something he had seen Kenu do in one of their earlier Runs around town. He quickly kicked up with both feet, planted them both on the wall and pushed off and up with all of the power he had left. At first he didn't move, and it was as if time had stopped for Ron alone. He could feel his heart pumping in slow thumps, deep in his chest his breath came ragged and rasping, and his legs burned like they were on fire. With a Herculean effort of will, eyes clenched closed, teeth grating, Ron defied his own momentum and suddenly accelerated in the opposite direction, inches above the head of his presumable shocked green shadow. Unfortunately, Ron never tried this trick before, so his landing was in typical Ron fashion…head over heels, over head, over heels, over…until he brought up in an unfortunate trash can, butt first. Ron now looked like a hermit crab, a metallic one, but a hermit crab nonetheless.

"Ugh, ungh, awwww come on! First I'm chased by some shadowy weirdos across a field that looks like it was taken out of Zombie Mayhem Three and now my butt's stuck in a trashcan just like grade…well, every grade actually."

"Here, let me help you with that, my good man."

"Hey thanks bro-oh-HO-HO HO YAHHHHHHHH!" Ron was lifted off the ground to come face to face with the bruiser he had first been assaulted by. Unfortunately, Ron couldn't even kick or lash back as his hands and feet were now no more than a foot apart from each other. He did the only thing to do when at the mercy of a supposedly powerful being about to hurt him…close his eyes and try to protect his face and pray the hurt didn't come.

Fortunately, this time, it didn't. A loud ripping and tearing sound was heard, and the slack on Ron's body lessened until he dropped quite unceremoniously to the ground to land on his butt.

"Ah, terribly sorry about that dear boy, I seem to have caused you to soil your clothes once again." The great man picked Ron up in one hand, dusted off his clothes with the other, and then deposited him on his feet, quite gently as a matter of fact. Ron just stood there, kind of stunned, as he tried to take it all in.

"I believe he is in shock, Shockwave-kun. You seem to have that affect on most of the new crowd we encounter." The voice was decidedly female, with a slight twinge of Japanese, if Ron heard correctly.

"I tried to tell him what was happening, but he took off too fast. This young man can definitely Run when he needs to, by jove." British, and sounding much like Big Mike on a good day…as in one with an IQ over fifty.

"Weeel, he shore got teh best of ol' Stickers there. That boy's not gunna wake up fer shore fer at least five minutes. Even mah grannie's feet couldn't git his hide off the tarmac now." Texan, or deep south of some sort. His accent was thicker than Kim's first attempt at cutard. Ron still didn't know how Tank Patch got mixed into the flour bag, but he suspected Barkin had something to do with it.

"Aye lads, he's definitely got some real talent there. I think he might be the best addition you've had for a long while there Wingnut." Irish, guaranteed.

"Oh, stuff it Lassie. How was I supposed to know that last girl was a bit of a psycho?" Kenu's voice? But wasn't he knocked out earlier?

"I believe removing her from a mental institution did not increase your odds of acquiring a sane individiual, Runn-san." The Japanese lady spoke again.

"You too, Kat? Great, now I've got two ladies on my ass..."

"And one verrryyy angry Rrrussssian."

"Rad tebya videt to you too, Kasper."

"Niet, your Russian is still crap, Runn. If that boy keeps running like thet, we will heve to re-fit him quite a bit, da?"

"Da, I agree Kasper, but right now let's get Stickers peeled off the ground and get everyone re-acquainted so that Ron here doesn't twist his head right off his shoulders from looking around too much. Team, over by the wall if you please."

All the forms moved at different paces towards the concrete wall Ron had just jettisoned himself off. Now that they were out of the light, Ron's eyes started picking out more and more details. Kenu walked up beside him and clapped him on the shoulder, looking no worse for wear other than being a bit dirtier than when Ron saw him last.

"Ron, this is the team you'll be working with, other than Pence of course. Time for introductions. You guys know the drill, so sound off!" The crew went from left to right as they were lounging around the wall.

"The name's Dog. Ah'll be yer fixer-upper after this bunch gits ya in trouble. Medic extrodin…dina…aw, hell, I'm real good, kay?" The man looked a little older, probably around his mid forties, but definitely as fit as anyone here. He was slim, almost skeletal, and short, topping five foot three at best. He had salt and pepper hair and a thin goatee to round off the features. The man was packed down with pouches and belts and two messenger over-the-shoulder satchels that looked ready to burst. Even his cargo pants were full to the brim. Clearly, this Dog was ready for anything.

"I guess I am next in order. I am Katakana, but you may call me Kat for short. I am the 'Slick' of this team, Ron-san." She was slim, more like a gymnast though, and currently performing the spits at an obtuse angle perched on two upturned oil drums. She wore close-fitting clothing all over, and what appeared to be a spandex suit only on her lower body. There were only one or two pockets and those were on the torso, around the stomach area. If it wasn't for the name and different tone of voice and slimness, Ron was sure she could have been Yori's twin sister, but of course Ron got his Asian's mixed up fairly frequently. She was also taller than Ron by a few inches, which was surprising given her heritage.

"Dimitri Kasparov, or 'Kasper'. I em the gear expert. You break it, you come to me, da?"

"Da!" Ron answered without thinking. Never mess with a scary looking Russian holding a bottle of Vodka in one hand and what looked to be a wrench in the other. Broad-shouldered, standing ram-rod straight, and dressed in mostly old Red Army fatigues, Kasper was definitely a sight to behold. The dark clothing only set off his super-pale skin.

"Then I suppose it is my turn. I, good sir, am Shockwave. I do hope I did not scare you too much earlier. You ran away from me before I could get a word in edge-wise. Well, I guess you can tell, I am the 'Heavy' of this group of ruffians." The British was here to stay, and it was big, but not as big as Ron thought first.

"Uh, weren't you bigger before?" The African-Britain was mostly lean and lithe muscle now, notably the tallest of the group, but not as wide as he had first been led to believe.

"Ah, yes, that would be those lovely things over there, Ronald." Shockwave pointed to a pile of round objects, not much larger than a cantaloupe melon. "They are attached to my body so I can use them when it comes to fisticuffs. They do make me look rather chunky I suppose, but such is the nature of being the combatant of the group, eh? Ha ha ha ha ha."

"Ah, yeah, right…" Ron didn't want to know how much those things weighed, but they definitely took Kenu for a spin regardless.

'_Note to self, don't piss him off._'

"Aye, well, ye've already heard of me Ronnie. I be Chase Dune, so affectionately called Lassie by this group, and of course I'm the 'Goggles', since Wingnut over there couldn't get not a one thing done without my info." Chase was freckles, Irish, dressed in blue, and had long red hair. What more do you kneed to know?

"Shut it Lassie."

"Sit and swivel, Wingnut!" The appropriate rude hand gesture was in place.

"Alright, alright. Anyways, that green dude on the ground there, that's Marcus, or Stickers, as we like to call him. He's the Dash of the group, as you could probably tell when he almost caught you there. Nice work with that move, by the way. Didn't you only see me do that once?"

"Uh, yeah. Had to try it…first thing that entered my mind."

"Hey, great job there. Couldn't have done better myself…except I might not have gotten caught in the trash can."

Alright folks, you know the drills. Shockwave, Katakana, this is full simulation, so try and keep Ronald here up to speed and out of firing range until he's ready. It shouldn't take too long, he's been catching on fast."

"Not to worry Rook. You'll be giving us the old 'one two' in no time."

"Hai!"

"Alright, Lassie, you up for a quick start?"

"Ah, heh heh, yeah, um…."

"Aye, sounds like a bonnie idea to me. Stickers'll be around before long." Chase adjusted her gloves, flexing her hands in the process.

"Uh, what the hell?" Ron just couldn't have looked more confused.

"Just follow shockwave and Kat over there and they'll explain as we go." Kenu was re-tying his shoes at the moment. "Everyone, head out. Round starts in three minutes. Top score wins."

The whole group moved off at once, save for Dog who was monitoring Stickers with some hand-held equipment. While Kenu and Chase went off in one direction, Ron chased Shockwave and Kat in another. He had to scrabble to catch up for the first few seconds, as the big English man and the slight Japanese lady moved with surprising speed and grace. Catching up after letting loose a few choice vaults over some rubble, Ron found that Kat had pulled her hair back with a blood red bandana, matching her suit quite well with all the black accents and red base color. She looked even more lithe now that her shoulder-length hair was out of the way. Shockwave was also smaller, but he had not put his projectiles back on his body.

Upon closer inspection, the big man had shin guards, gauntlets, shoulder pads, knee pads, and even a back protector. It was all very slim, and looked built in to his clothing via stitching. Literally, the man was a human tank. He was rummaging around in a breast pocket for something when Ron grunted to catch his attention.

"Uh, yeah, so what is this all about?"

"Ah, sorry Rook. Put on your HUD and we'll get you synced up to us. I believe it should be in one of your chest pockets." Sure enough Ron found it on his second try, a pair of sunglasses with an earpiece and microphone. It looked like Pence had taken his previous headset and integrated it into a really sweet pair of yellow-framed shades.

"Duuuudddeeee. This is sweet!" Ron exclaimed as he slid them onto his face.

"Indeed, Rook-san. Each of us has their own custom style of display depending on our needs. Mine is very similar to yours, where Shockwave-kun has a single screen to place over one eye." She motioned for Ron to look in Shockwave's direction, and sure enough the big man had a military style headset with only one eye covered by a square screen. Kat's was a very slim set of glasses that wrapped as close to her face as they could possibly get.

"Just turn them on and let Pence do the rest." Each of the trio pressed the respective 'on' buttons and the lenses flashed to life. Data started flashing across the screen, and Ron almost lost his footing twice before he got used to looking past the data. Finally, the data cleared, and Penney's voice came over the line."

Blip _"Hey guys, how's it going?"_ Pence's voice came over the line loud and clear in Ron's ear.

"_Jolly good Pence, how about you?"_ Shockwave's voice came over the headset.

_Blip "Damn skippy since I have a new co-pilot here today. Say hello to Naked Man."_

Blip _"Hnk, hi!"_

"Rufus, buddy!"

"_Uh, Pence-san, why do you have a naked man with you that is not Alex-san." _Kat's voice was notably sounding confused.

Blip _"That was one time, okay! And Alex was clothed…sort of…"_ silence reigned over the three headsets, _"Alright, so he was naked. But this is Rufus, Ron's pet naked mole rat. He'll be taking care of displaying the right information over your displays and pointing out objects of note."_

"_Roger that, Pence. Pleasure to meet your acquaintance Naked Man. I do say, we must have the oddest nicknames in the business, eh Rook?"_

"Ha ha ha ha, yeah, definitely. But whatever works, right?" Ron couldn't help but chuckle.

Blip "_You got it Rook. So, Kat, what can I set you guys up with today?"_

"_If you please, Pence-san, I believe the game today is Dodgeball, full simulation. The teams are Rook, Shockwave, and myself, against Wingnut, Lassie, and Stickers. Stickers is currently out of commission, but Dog believes he will be able to join in the next round."_

_Blip "Sound good. Full spec list too?"_

"_If you would be so kind." _ Shockwave requested.

Blip _"You got it, Shockwave. I'll be your eyes in the sky. Pence, out…Oh, and Rook?"_

"Yo, Pence?"

Blip _"Good luck out there. Naked Man will take care of you from here, and Shockwave and Kat will keep you in the game. Later!"_

"Thanks, Pence. Naked Man, I'll catch you later on, buddy."

Blip _"Hnk, uh huh. Kick butt!"_

"Booyah buddy, Booyah!"

Ron's heads-up display came to life again, this time displaying most of the information around the edges of his vision. There was a compass along the bottom of his glasses showing which direction he was facing at the time, as well as the relative direction his two teammates were in. There was also a small scoreboard showing red and blue in the upper left corner. His glasses also tinted blue, so Ron guessed he was on the blue team this time. The right hand corner of his display showed his speed and heart rate. The monitors Kenu made his wear were attached on several places on Ron's body. They looked like the electrodes doctors hook patients up to in the hospital, but these were wireless and could measure the Runner's physical condition, just in case someone got hurt and couldn't call for help. Shockwave's voice coming through the earpiece interrupted Ron's revelry.

"Hey Rook, look over my way."

Turning his head to look in the direction the indicators were pointing, Ron couldn't see Shockwave, but he could see a rough human-shaped outline in yellow behind a stack of scrap.

"Dude! I can see you…but I can't see you…woah!"

"Pretty nifty, eh? This way, we can see our own teammate's positions even when they're behind objects and out of site. It only works up to twenty feet though, then we turn into dots."

"_Indeed, Shockwave-kun is indeed correct."_ Ron looked the other way to find Kat was now a yellow dot. _"Unfortunately, we can only know how far our teammates are away once they are under the twenty foot range. After that, it is all a guessing game."_

"Ah, alright, I think I get it." Ron said while adjusting his pant ties, "So, would you guys be able to fill me in before…"

BEEEEEEEP!

The sound came over the intercom loud enough to make Ron wince. Keying down the volume slightly, Shockwave cut in.

"Alright Rook, here's the way it goes. It's basically like regular Dodgeball you played in school. The only differences are the points. We're playing full simulation today so it's zero points for catching with your hands or feet. Anywhere from just above the knees to just before your elbows is one point, and the head is two points. If you ricochet the ball off an object for a clean hit on the back of a person's head, that's three points. Forearms, hands, elbows, shins, knees, and feet can be used to block, kick, hit, and throw the balls at the opponents. The round stops when the timer is up. Since this is practice, it'll probably as long as Pence wants it to go on. She'll monitor our fatigue levels and go with that to judge. Got it all?"

"Yeah, pretty much. So basically, don't get hit and hit them," Ron pointed towards where he figured Kenu and Chase were located, "as much as possible. Those sound right?"

Katakana's voice came over the line,_ "Indeed, Rook. That is the proverbial 'gist of things."_

"The next series of beeps you hear is a countdown from five to one, signaling the start of the match. Good luck Rook, we'll try to keep you out of harm's way until you catch on to the HUD and all that."

BEEP!

Ron looked to his left, seeing the bulk of Shockwave standing at the top of a pile of rubble, a statue on the field of battle.

BEEP!

Ron sought out Kat's lithe physique. She was higher up than even Shockwave, having perched herself like a bird of prey on top of a lamppost, eyes focused on the hunt to come.

BEEP!

Ron cracked his neck to the right…

BEEP!

Then to the left…

BEEP!

Finally, he crouched into a running stance he had learned from years of doing missions with Kim.

'_GAME ON'_ An electronic voice sounded over the intercom system, and it sent shivers down Ron's spine as he heard a loud thump. Two round projectiles, headed in two different angles, were jettisoned from some sort of cannon. His teammates hurtled themselves after the apparent closest, intent on getting there first. And Ron, well, all Ron could do was follow and mutter a quiet…

"A-Booyah!"

This was going to be fun…he hoped.

* * *

Another one done, comment if you will be so kind.


	12. Aftermath and Review

"Aaaaaaooowwwww! Aaaaaooow, Aaaow!"

"Well if ya quit yer squirmin, it wouldn't hurt so much ya dang fool!"

"If it didn't hurt so much I wouldn't be squirming! Ow!"

"Humph, baby."

"Shut it Stickers!"

"Marcus-kun..."

"Ah, right, sorry Kat."

Ron was being worked on by Dog after the day's practice match of dodge ball. Unsurprising as it was, Dog was incredibly good at his job. Unfortunately for Ron, though, he also lived up to his overall impression. The man was a former war medic, and as such, didn't have much time for niceties or gentle procedures. If it wouldn't kill the patient, then it got done. Blast it all for Ron, because that meant he had to undergo Dog's very rough taping, massaging, and prodding. Not a fun way to spend an after-match cool down. To rub the proverbial salt in the wound, one of Ron's main causes of hurts, Marco, or Stickers, was also getting some treatment. Of course, it wouldn't be rubbing salt in the wound if he was getting the same treatment as Ron. No, that would be payback, or karma, or some other sort of divine retribution. It was, in all truth, a nightmare, as Stickers was getting a rub down by the lither, the lovely, the light, Katakana. Ron couldn't have looked more sour.

"Ah, come on Ron. Don't be hatin' on the Stick-meister. I just had to get you back for that trick you pulled earlier."

"By smashing a ball into my head at point blank?" Ron tried to keep an intimidating face plastered on his face. There only two problems with that. One, Ron is very rarely intimidating except to...well, no one. And two, Dog's ministrations kept Ron's face twisting into every sort of shape imaginable due to discomfort. Stickers just waved him off.

"Ok, so maybe I didn't need to hit you while you were in the air, in the face...but goddamn you're a hard one to predict. Your reactions are crazy fast, dude! One second I figure you're gonna keep on moving forward, so I'll hit you in the back. Then the next moment you're dodging the other ball in mid-air putting the back of your head right in my line of fire. Mad props for the sick aerial moves."

Stickers shot Ron one of his flashy, close-eyed grins. Apparently, after coming to and being told what the hell had happened, Stickers had ran off like a bat out of hell, on fire, with the devil chasing him, on speed...you get the idea. In any case, Ron was told by Shockwave what it meant when Stickers got that crazed grinning look on his face on the way back from the field.

* * *

_As Ron was being helped over the wreckage by Shockwave, wincing all the while, Ron couldn't help but pose a question to the mammoth team mate._

"_Hey, Shockwave? Ya got a second?"_

"_Not a problem Rook, I don't suppose it would be about master Sticker's behaviour on the field, would it?" Ron was so shocked, all he could do was nod his reply. Shockwave just chuckled in response._

"_No, I am not a psychic, Ron. I just seem to get asked that same question when anyone new meets Marcus" He paused to give Ron a boost over a low wall they had to cross, "To truth is, that Stickers respects you."_

"_Huh, wazzat? How can a guy chasing me around the field wearing a grin like the Heckler from the Fearless Ferret cartoons respect me? He looked like he was gone off his rocker trying to kill me."_

"_That's just the way he is, Ron. We never did say he was completely sane, dear boy. Of course, none of us are, eh? Ha ha ha." Schockwave continued his explanation, "You see, when Marcus looks as he does during this match, relentlessly chasing after an opponent with his full effort, it means he respects him. Now, you're actually something special, Ron, because Marcus was smiling." Ron couldn't help but stumble at this revelation._

"_That's what he calls smiling?"_

"_Yes, by golly, it is. Most times he's got this grimace on his face, looking like some sort of demon. Running after you, though, he actually looked happy. I haven't seen that look, since, well, since a long time ago, when I first met him and he joined the team. Ron, keep going like you have, and you'll have the most loyal friend you could even want in Marcus, rest assured on that."_

_

* * *

_

"Alright, yer all patched up. Now, get to the back of the trailer. I'll be sure of it that Kenu and Chase want to run through the tapes with you all while its fresh in yer skulls." Dog gave Ron a good slap on the back for good measure.

"Awwww man, do we have to, Kat?" Marcus looked up from his prone position at his deliciously lithe masseur. He actually pulled off the kicked puppy look well.

"Indeed, Marcus-kun. Come on Ron-san, you too."

A twin, "Awwww, man!" came from the two new team-mates.

But they followed Kat, nonetheless, back into the storage room, where Kasper was fixing some old HUDs, and then beyond to the media room. The team was currently in the MCU, or Mobile Command Unit. It was basically a big ass travel trailer hooked up to an 18-wheeler tricked out by their bad ass Roller, Alex. There were three rooms in the back as well. A recovery bay was set up first, as a place for Dog to conduct medical treatments and others to just lie down on the cots if need be. The next room was the tech room, Kaspers domain. It held lockers for gear, tools for fixing said gear, and of course, the liquor cabinet. Never get between a Russian and his liquor! Finally, it was the media room. It was basically, a big room filled with bean-bag chairs and TV screens. Data could be wired there via Penney's wireless uplink, or through a small computer kept on site for minor operations. In this case, the team was packed in there to review the day's practice. Kenu and Chase usually conducted these as soon as possible, barring any serious medical emergencies, to make sure they knew what to work on while it was fresh in their heads. As soon as the trio came in, Kenu was ready to go.

"Alright you three, grab a seat and we'll get started." Kenu was seated up next to the wall of screens, facing the team. Chase was next to him as well. Obviously, she would have some part in this as well, being the Goggles of the team, and a psychological expert. Once the three were settled in, Chase took over.

"You guys all better there?" She questioned the three newcomers.

"Hai, Chase-san. I took care of Marcus-kun, and Dog-san looked after the injuries Ron-san endured." She had seated herself in Marcus' lap, and he wrapped his arms around her lean form in a protective embrace. They looked very close. Even Marcus' demeanour changed, he was calm, quiet, controlled.

Ron thought '_And that explains the honorific change!_'

"Ah, my condolences Ron. Ye now got a taste of why we de-nay like getting injured here." Chase gave Ron a wink, while the rest of the crew laughed good-naturedly at his expense. She continued without preamble.

"Alright, let's get to the review. In order, we have Shockwave, Stickers, Kat, myself, Wingnut and Rook. We promise not to pick on you too much, since it's your first time Ron. Take a look at this wee clip Penney and Naked Man put together and see what ye all can pick out."

The team watched the clips, commenting as they went along. Shockwave needed to work on his vaults and stamina, as he ran out during the last part of the run. His throws, blocks, and positioning were all good, if a bit hesitant. A bit more aggression would have done him good there. Acceleration and footwork could use some work as well.

Stickers, or Marcus, turned out to have a problem with positioning on the field. He was always out of position, only managing to get back to the play at hand due to his speed. He definitely needed to reign it in. His emotions were also a question mark. Kenu just looked at his, tapping the side of his own head, and Marcus nodded, copying the action. No more was said about that. Footwork was fine, but vaults also needed to be sped up, due to his position.

Kat had the least issues. She needed a bit more upper-body resiliency and strength, and maybe a touch more top end speed. That would come from training with Marcus when time allowed.

Chase needed to be more aggressive, spend less time watching and more time doing, and definitely work on her arm strength. She was definitely the weakest of the team by far. She made up for it in positioning ability and sheer knowledge of what would happen in a situation. Reaction timing would need to go up, as it's one thing to know, but quite another to react to something one-in-a-million, as Kenu pointed out happened once or twice per match.

Kenu had almost everything to work on, yet nothing was at fault. He was the most well-balanced of the team by far, and his stamina was bar-none. He'd just have to continue to work on whatever he could.

Then came time for Ron's evaluation...

"Alright, that's all for today. Ron you're getting off easy this time. I'll give you some tips when we get back to home base." Kenu halted the review at that, "You guys head on out first, there's a few odds and ends I have to take care of with Chase here."

Ron and the rest of the crew filed out, getting some air and just generally glad to be out of the stuffy bus. Kasper and Dog filed back into the media room with Chase and Kenu. The four sat and watched Ron's plays through the course of their practice once, twice, three times. Four sets of eyes glued to the screen, four brains working overtime, and four knowing grins lit up the dim room. Something big was going down, and it all centred on Ron. Pity he didn't know what was gonna happen, he might have had a chance to escape.

"Well Chase, what do you think, can you fix him?"

"Aye, that I can. If I can fix your sorry state of affairs, and keep Marcus in check...somewhat, Ron will be as simple as Irish stew." Kenu nodded, then turned to Doc.

"What do you think, is he ready to go for more?"

Doc scratched his thinning hair, shrugging, "Ah don't see why not. That boy's got some set of muscles and bones built up there. What did you do to him, Kenu?" Kenu just waved him off.

"Kasper, got any ideas for specialized gear for our new kid?"

The Russian took a swig from his Vodka bottle, then answered, "Da, I think I got it. Took a look at his shoes earlier, and da chip data. Ogrysat'sya, the data vill let me come up vith something."

"Good." Kenu stood up, cracked his neck, and with a look that meant business, "Playtime's over, let's get to work on Project Run Stoppable."

* * *

Outside, Ron felt a cold shiver go up his spine. Marcus commented on it.

"Hey Ron, someone just walk over your grave or what?"

"Dunno, but maybe I should get back and get changed. Must be just getting chilled. Um, which train should I take again?"

"Pfft, don't worry about that. We'll give ya a ride, right Kat?"

"It would be the my pleasure, Ron-san." Kat motioned to a Cherry-red Nissan GT-R.

"A-Booyah! The Ron-man calls shotgun."

"Pfft, in your dreams cowboy. My girlfriend, I get the best seat, ya dig?"

"Awwwwww man! Well it was worth a shot."

* * *

"Hey Penney, Rufus, I'm back!" Penney answered the call from behind her desk.

"Hey Ron, Rufus here just kicked my ass all kinds of crazy through Zombie Mayhem 6."

"Hnk, Booyah!" The little guy bounced on the keyboard, launching up to Ron's outstretched palm when he rounded the desk.

"Hey, what can I say, the little guy knows how to game." He gave the little mole rat a finger high paw, "Any mail for me from back home, buddy?"

"Hnk, nope." The pink rodent-esque critter shook his head vehemently.

"Bugger, but at least Kim-zilla hasn't raised her head again. I'll give her a call in the morning, when I'm less hurty and a whole lot more awake."

"Alright Ron, catch ya in the morning. By the way, nice work in the match today. You had some seriously good moves for a first timer. With a little luck, and a whole lot of practice, you'll be ready for the big time with the team." Penney knew how to make a guy feel good.

"Thanks Penney, catch ya in the morning." Ron waved to Penney as he stepped out the door.

Penney keyed up her computer once the door was shut, bringing up Kenu's call button and connecting him in.

"Yeah, Wingnut, he's back safe and sound. So, what have you got for me, and it had better be good. That boy's got too much potential to be..." She paused, listening to something that obviously made her excited, as her eyes grew bigger and bigger, a sick grin on her face, "Well then, I retract my previous statement. Have Kasper, Dog, and Lassie send over their stuff and I'll ge right on it. Looks like it's gonna be a couple of late-nighters for me. You mind if I get some outside help on this one? I may need some more inside data...Alright, catch you later Wingnut."

Shutting off one connection, Penney immediately queued up another one.

"Hey Wade, you got a minute?"

* * *

The next morning, Ron was none the worse for wear. A little bruised, sure, but none of the muscles hurt too bad and that could be rectified with a little monkey style kung fu warm up Master Sensei taught him. Going through the forms in the cool of the early morning was kind of like a moving meditation for Ron. Usually the only thing that calmed him down was Nacos and gameage. But recently, Ron found the physical side of things was giving him better focus. Somehow, he figured he would be needing it if he was to survive the next bunch of days. Maybe it was MMP (Mystical Monkey Power) or maybe it was that late night snack just coming back to haunt him, but something didn't feel right.

And where the hell was Kenu?

That over-training beast of a Runner was always up before Ron. Normally he'd be on the roof, doing his own exercises. But Ron was on the roof alone. Yeah, that's what was causing the feeling. Just a situation out of the ordinary. Nothing to worry about, no maniacal plans from super-villains, no past to come back and haunt him, and no monkey kung fu seeking English lords to fend off. It was just him, his forms, and his buddy Rufus pumping out the mad tunage from his pocket into the wireless earbuds Wade had fixed him up with. Currently starting over the broadband was Five Finger Death Punch with the song Bad Company. Awwwwwww yeah!

"Rufus, buddy."

"Hnk, uh huh?" The tiny head poked out from the pocket.

"Turn that up please, and start it over?" Ron asked, not stopping his forms.

"Huh, O K!" The little dude popped back into the pocket, the volume turning up to the way Ron liked it...so it blocked out everything. Now it was time to get funky with it. Ron switched into the more aggressive series of forms Sensei had taught him the last time he went to Yamanouchi. He had yet to master them, but he was coming along quickly. Of course, Master Sensei would always find something to fix, but he was like, a billion years old and practiced martial arts for most of it. The form was a fast-moving, powerful striking forms that mixed the Wooden Monkey with the Drunken Monkey styles. While not focusing on the physically more powerful strikes of the Stone Monkey or range of the Tall Monkey, the style fit Ron well, combining trickster styling to quick and hard strikes. It was the combined form he had taken to best, and Sensei had him work on it almost exclusively during his final week. The other styles Ron knew, but definitely didn't master as well. Monkeyfist was definitely the master of Tall Monkey and Stone Monkey, and they both could use a bit of the Lost Monkey. As the music reached a climax, Ron was a whirlwind of flips, back-kicks, arching overhead strikes, and even falling strikes. It required expert timing and the ability to take falls extremely well. Luckily for Ron, he fell lots, so learning how to break his fall came naturally. It was definitely one of his best assets in a fight, so he wouldn't take residual damage from hitting the floor. Finally, as the song ended and another began, Ron wound down and climbed off the rooftop, swinging down on the lamp-post to alight outside the office doors. Alex's car had pulled up, as it was parked outside. He must be in visiting Penney. Ron kicked open the door with a light push of his foot.

"Hey Alex, wassup my AY...HEY...WOAH...THIS...IS...SO...WRONG...OH...GOD!" Each pause in Ron's speech was punctuated by him dodging something being thrown in his direction from Penney's desk. After the last word, he was pulled down by a set of hands behind a stack of parcels lined up to be delivered. It was Alex who saved him from getting a coffee mug or two in the face.

"Hey Ron, how ya doing mon?" For a dark guy, he looked positively pale.

"Uh, I was better before I stepped through the door. What's going on back there?" Another crash punctuated a ceramic coffee mug this time. Most of the others were metal or paper.

"Ya mon, sorry bout that. Penney pulled another all-nighter. I don't like it when she does mon, 'cause she ends up like this. Waaaaay strung out on caffeine mon."

"Ah, I hear ya. Kim turns into Kim-zilla when she gets stressed out. Kinda like this, except with Kung Fu added into the mix." Alex nodded in sagely understanding. They both had girlfriend temper issues.

"Ya best clear off for a while mon. I'll take a bit of the heat off, and you get out the door. I'll catcha later bro." He tapped fists with Ron before jumping out from behind the stack, focusing his girlfriend's vengeful wrath upon his own person. Ron made a beeline for the door, wrenching it open and watching it close to head a fleeting.

"Ah, Penney, not the dreads...CLICK." The door shut on the lovers quarrel. Well, from what Ron knew about dealing with Kim, Alex had the best chances of survival in there.

"Hey Rufus, you still with me there buddy?" A scratch on the inside of his pants leg gave him his answer, "Think you can put on some Seven Mary Three for me?"

Once the song Cumbersome came over the headphones, Ron set off for the ARC to see if he could get some idea of what's going on. He figured he wouldn't be getting any jobs from Penney today, so the events boards down at the ARC should have something. He had noticed them earlier when he was there on Medical Leave, but never got to look at them real closely.

* * *

Stepping in through the front doors, Ron was greeted with the usual busy sights and sounds of the ARC. It was truly a Runner's Mecca, and everyone who was involved with running, alliance or nay, would probably come through here sometime or another. Well, save for the evil dudes screwing up the place. Ron waved greetings to a few of the folk that he recognized, even slapping hi fives with Shockwave as he passed the mess hall. The big man liked to eat almost as much as he did. Ron figured all the Runners were like that due to the jobs they had to do. Sliding up to the digital message board, Ron flicked through a few of the screens, moving around the digital pieced of paper as you would on a real table. Almost giving up on anything interesting, Ron spotted a green corner poking out from the back of the digital pileup. Revealing the poster Ron read,

'Style and Timed Comp. All Runners Welcome. Hosted By Sky Spiders.' _Hey isn't that Roxy's crew? Huh, could be fun.'_ Ron keyed in the destination into his HUD, waited a secondor two for the signal to kcik out the GPS data for his, and off he want to see what this competition was all about.

_'Could be fun.'_


	13. Friendly Competition

Hey everyone, I know its a long time coming so I'll make no excuses. Here it is. Let me know what you think. It's been a while since I've had a review of any sort. Ha ha ha. Enjoy!

* * *

**"Last but not least we have a newcomer to the Running scene. A first time competitor, let's hear it for Rook!"**

Ron still couldn't believe his ears. Here he was, standing on the line at a Runner competition, all because Stickers had opened up his big mouth.

* * *

Flashback

Arriving at the designated area, Ron took in quite the sight. There were hundreds, if not thousands of people swarming the park area. Stalls popped up everywhere, but the highest concentration was around the perimeter and close to the central area. As Ron walked around he noted that the vendors sold everything from food to clothing and even videos. It was a Running fan's dream. Individual teams had set up booths as well, selling off some of their official merchandise in the forms of t-shirts, hats, bags, stickers, etc. There wasn't much professional level gear to be found, unless of course you happened to be a Runner yourself.

Ron found this fact out when he passed by a stall manned by a team called the Rhinos. One of the vendors waved him back before he got out of earshot and had pulled Ron in behind the main stall. In the back area, away from prying eyes, Ron had been shown some new prototype gloves and pants the team was coming up with this year. Unfortunately, Ron could only drool at the way the gloves fit on his hands as he had little money with him at the time. The vendor, a fellow Runner, was quite understanding, but still said that when he had some free cash to come on back and they would get Ron decked out proper, with a discount for being on Kenu's team.

This whole getting respect by being a Runner associated with Kenu seemed to happening more often. Every stall he passed where he either ordered some grub or simply tried on a few pieces of gear he would get a respectful nod from the Runners he dealt with once they found out who Ron ran with. It never ceased to amaze Ron how much street cred Kenu seemed to have in this community. I guess it helped that the man was one of the original founders of the professional movement of the sport and business.

In the main area, what was once a rather large skate park had been transformed into an arena. Scaffolding, concrete and wooden barriers and even the occasional portable toilet was laid about haphazardly with Runners vaulting and jumping to music being pumped over speaker stands. The speakers all ran back to a central tower set about thirty feet up in the air. Ron guessed that it was the main announcers area and probably where he needed to head to find Roxy and see what she was getting up to. He had already run into some of her crew this morning. They were running this competition so someone in a Sky Spiders uniform could be found every so often either giving out directions or providing security and the like. Ron made his way up to the grandstand and asked the two big scary bouncer-looking guys if Roxy was up there. One of them nodded to the other who then scrambled up over the ladder to have some brief words with whoever was up there. A few seconds later and green and black form can sliding down over the ladder with a friendly grin on her face.

"Ron me boyo. Good tae see ye...and pants still on yer wee hips. Color me impressed." Roxy's smirk reminded Ron waaaay too much of Shego at this point. Fortunately he could tell tat she was in much better spirits than Shego ever was.

"Good to see you too Roxy." Ron gestured at the general area, "Quite the setup you got here."

"Aye, it be that. Took forever tae get set up by this morning. Damn bureaucrats had another event here last night, screwed us over an' gave us only ten hours tae get it all ready. But, they deenay call me Roxy for nothing." She winked at that. "So tell me Ron, ya ever been tae one of these before?"

"Uh, that would be a definite no." Ron rubbed the back of his head, as usual.

"Figured I'd ask anyhow, knowin' who ye be and all that. Well, let's give ye the full tour. Follow me on up tae the stand."

Ron obliged and followed Roxy up the ladder to the stand. He surprisingly only let his footing slip once, but at least there was a good reason this time. Under his breath, Ron was chanting,

"_I must not look at butt, I must not look at butt, I must not..."_ Roxy had chosen to wear must more fitted pants today and it definitely showed. Even Shego's butt didn't look that good. Ron was just glad that Kim would never find out. Hey, he never touched, right?

Clambering up over the final rungs, Ron was given the full rundown by Roxy.

"Ron me boy, meet Gavin." The two bumped fists before Gavin went back to whatever he was currently toying with on his two laptop screens, "Gavin here be our sound guy and DJ. One of the best he be, if a bit short on words sometimes." Roxy then started pointing out a few of the features Ron had missed, finally getting back to the main stage.

"This bonnie piece of tarmac be the competition zone. We've got the timed competition first and then the freestyle later on."

"Um, what are they doing down there now?" Ron pointed to some Runners who appeared to be teaching kids and regular folk to do some basics.

"Aye, that be a training seminar. We're still trying to raise awareness about what we do and the best way tae do that is to teach others. Besides, sometimes we get lucky with some promising new recruits."

"Sweet. After training yesterday I feel like I should be down there too."

"That bad, eh?"

"Nah, just made me realize that I have a heck lot more to learn if I want to keep up to Kenu and the crew."

Roxy's eyes bugged out a little before she quickly school her expression.

'_What in the name of Bonnie Prince Charlie? If Ron's already running with Kenu's crew then he must already be some runner..._'

"OY, RON!"

Roxy's thoughts were cut off by the arrival of another voice from below the tower. Leaning over the railing she saw Stickers grinning and waving to Ron with Ron waving back. He spotted Roxy and gave her a mock salute. Roxy saluted back before motioning that she would be right down. Gesturing to Ron, they both made their way down the ladder to meet Stickers at ground level.

"Ye made it." A statement rather than a question.

"yep, definitely. I missed the last one so I had to show up to this one. Ron bro, how ya feeling from yesterday? No swelling around the facial area I see." Stickers ducked a swipe from Ron while grinning.

"Yeah yeah, rub it in." Ron was grinning too, "You're competing in this thing?"

"Yep, I usually do. Helps me stay sharp and sometimes get a free pair of kicks out of it."

Ron and Stickers continued to talk for a bit while Roxy had one of her refrigerator-sized bouncers get her attention and relay something in hushed tones. She reacted rather well...

"Oh saints preserve me!" This got Ron and Stickers' attention quickly. Roxy turned to her new audience, rubbing the bridge of her nose in the process, "That daft bugger...one of the competitors just busted his ankle in warm-up. Now we're down a competitor for the main match. It be so much better tae have a full roster, especially for the pairings later on."

"Hey, Ron here can do it." Stickers piped up.

"Stickers, you sure about..."

"Of course I'm sure. The dude can pretty much keep up with me in a straight line and he's mad unpredictable."

"Hey, um..." Ron never got to finish what he would have said.

"Alright, I'll go sign the boyo up. Give him the rundown, would ye Stickers?"

"Will do!"

"What, wuzzat, what just happened?" Ron looked about as confused as he could be at the moment as he watched Roxy walk off talking to some more folk with clipboards in their hands.

"Looks like you're gonna run in the competition there Ron! Awesome bro!" Stickers gave Ron a slap on the back, pulling him along in is daze. "Come on Ron, the competition starts in a few minutes. Best get the rest of your kit on too. Don't think just because we're friends I'm gonna go easy on ya either. Ha ha ha." Stickers gave Ron a light punch on the shoulder for good measure.

The wind whistled trough Ron's ears, betraying te fact that he had no idea what he had just gotten himself into. Fortunately his body knew what needed to be done and in a fog Ron went through a few stretches and checked all of his gear over.

Finally, the announcements came over the speaker system.

"**All Runners please report to the starting line. I repeat, all Runners to the starting line. If yer late, yer out."**

Ron just followed the crowd, finally starting to realize on what he had gotten involved in. Once all the runners had assembled, another voice came over the loud speakers. This one definitely had the ring of a professional announcer to it.

"**Alright, here's the run down everyone. We've got the timed comp up first with the freestyle run to come after. The Timed Run and Freestyle will be held on the same course to there will be a break in between to get the equipment set up and give our Runners a break."**

"**Now for the boring stuff, the rules for the Timed Run. Each Runner will start from the Orange start line, currently being laid down by our own host, Roxy! Say hi Roxy!...I don't think that was a wave folks. In any case, moving on. The Runners then complete the course as fast as possible. Style doesn't matter here so it all comes down to time. However, all Runners will be required to hit the targets outlined in Yellow paint. If you fail to hit these feature throughout your session you will be disqualified. Also, there's only one round, so make it count. I'll go over the rules for the Freestyle comp a little later. For now, let's get this started!"**

"**First up to the line we have a veteran to the sport. He's sure to set the bar high right out the gates. Please welcome, representing the sky spiders, Franky Board. Don't let his laid back personality fool you folks, this guys is one of the top competitors here today. Runner ready? Ok, in 3...2...1...GO!"**

The blast of an air horn started Franky off at a surprisingly fast pace. It was like he just acted lethargic to save energy for the Run. He even had a relaxed face and shoulders throughout the whole thing, looking just like his namesake.

Ron peeled his eyes as the competitor tackled the course for the first time. First up were a few fairly low hurdles, followed by a precision run along the top of a very narrow angled wall rising from about two feet to eight feet in the air. Given that Franky was fairly tall, this section didn't give him much trouble. He then had to launch off and stick the landing on a vertical pole. Then it was up the pole as fast as possible up to about the twenty-five foot mark. Franky ran up this one hand over foot, just like a monkey would have...

_'Monkeys, brrrrrrr...'_

...At the top of the pole then wasn't a platform, and the top was capped with a round ball so you couldn't stand on it. No problem though, as Franky just spun 180 degrees and launched off in a backwards spin to grab the raised platform. Pulling up onto this thirty foot stage, he scrambled to his feet and kept running towards the next obstacle, a gap. There were two platforms in this timed run, the one that Franky was on now and the one across from it. This was the apex of the run and the turnaround point. The platforms were fairly far apart so there was also a raised wall set between then so the runner could choose to perform a wall run across or simply brave the jump if they had enough speed. Just to make it harder though, the wall in between was one of the required pieces to touch in order to not be disqualified. No problem here, Franky just took off with one foot, touched the other to the wall and pushed off, landing on the other side in a run. The man's long legs gave him an advantage at the gap distances.

Now it was a descent back to ground level and onwards to the finish. There was a rope set up to swing off of and then a double-rail leading down to about five feet off the ground. Franky hit the swing, letting go mid-air and dropped onto elbows and ankles going down the slide. It was just like something you saw in old WWII movies where the crewmen on ships and u-boats would slide down their stairs because they were so steep. Hitting the ground at a run there were now only three obstacles left to complete. A higher hurdle, requiring a hand from our lazy competitor to clear it and a slide section where Franky had to slide on a piece of vinyl under a low hanging wall. Back on this feet, Franky set off at a sprint for the last obstacle, a car. The car was parked sideways with no doors or glass attached to it. So long as you tagged part of the car and didn't just run around it, you could go over it as you wished. Being taller, Franky just vaulted the roof of the car and ran over the line to the applause of the crowd and the praises of the announcer. A clean run and a very fast time if the cheering was anything to go by.

"**Wow, a great first run by our veteran. Let's hear it once again for Franky! Up next we have..."**

"Hey Ron, what do you think?" Stickers had to poke Ron in the ribs to get his attention, "Got it figured out yet?"

"Ummm, that'd be a no." Ron just scratched his head. There was no way he had figured out how to get through this yet.

"Hey, no worries. I'm not up till the next round so I'll fill you in. You ave to hit the precision run, the two stages, the wall in between, the rails and the last car. Other than that, how you get through the course is up to you really. The vaults are easier to go over than around just because of the narrowness of the course, so those are pretty much a must. The rope doesn't need to be touched, but it does help with the rails. Your choice though. Roxy probably put you on the last placing to give you some time to warm up and get this course figured out since you are an alternate. My advice, watch everyone else and see what works." Sticker's name came over the loudspeakers.

"Woops, time for me to get ready. Catcha in a bit Ron." Stickers went off to get his place in the starting area, leaving Ron to his own thoughts.

"Awwww man, Rufus. This looks complicated!"

"Hnk, uh huh, yep!" The little mole rat spoke from Ron's bag, as he figured that being in his master's pocket might be dangerous during this foray.

"Nay, it not be tae hard." Roxy was at Ron's left shoulder, making him jump a little, "Two thinks ye got to do. One, hit everything in orange. Two, run faster than the other guys." She gave Ron a wink and a wave, heading off to organize something else.

"Heh, heh, true, but still not helping!" Ron's words went unheard as Roxy had already moved off.

He settled on a spot near the starting line in order to watch some of the other competitors and the way they did things. Many of the Runners took similar routes to Franky, trying to emulate his style. There were definitely differences in every run though. Some went up the pole in a spiral fashion or even like climbing a rope in the gym. Others performed full wall runs at the turnaround point rather than just one foot on the wall. There were a couple of falls, but nothing serious, and there were no disqualifications due to not hitting the required pieces of the course. A guy that went by the name of Antelope set the fastest time for the day, skipping the rope swing entirely and pretty much running/grinding the double rails down to the ground. Stickers came in just behind his time in second place so far. With the number of Runners dwindling, Ron got up and brushed himself of.

"Wish me luck buddy." Ron said to Rufus.

"Hnk, luck!" A little mole rat thumbs-up gave Ron a little extra confidence as he stepped up to the starting line.

**"Last but not least we have a newcomer to the Running scene. A first time competitor, let's hear it for Rook!"**

Ron was hit by the full assault of the crowd's cheering now that it wasn't being blocked by a wall of bodies. The sound of support was quite something else. Ron even noted some of his competitors, including Stickers, cheering him on. Apparently everyone supported each other at these things. Giving Stickers a nod in appreciation, Ron stepped into the hot zone, indicating he was ready to start. The announcer picked up the mike and began.

"**On your mark, get set...GO!"**

The airhorn set Ron into action like he had been hit by a taser in the butt. Dashing forward, Ron cleared the first three hurdles with little difficulty, if not the fastest time of the say for that sector. Next up was the wall run.

_'Eyes on the prize Ron. Look at where you want to go, not where you are...'_

This was one of the drills Kenu had Ron work on as he was being trained. Your balance and speed improved if you looked where you wanted to be, not where you were going to place your next foot. They would take care of themselves.

He only stumbled once and didn't fall. A big plus.

Next it was the vertical climb up the pole. Ron at least had a definite plan for this part of the course. Ron leaped slightly off-centre of the pole in order to only grab it with one hand. Then, pushing his legs as hard as he could, Ron actually ran up the pole! By keeping his momentum, Ron spun around the pole and used short steps to Run up the pole much quicker than he could climbing it. Also, instead of stopping at the top, Ron had timed it so he simply let go of the pole in mid-spin and rolled sideways through the air and onto the platform. Running up higher on the pole allowed him to do that.

'_Glad that's over. Now here we go!'_

Ron scrambled to his feet, running hard to the gap in a wide arc so he could hit it straight on. Launching to the next platform Ron simply reached out and slapped his hand against the wall. Hey, he touched it, right? Ron nearly landed too short though, clipping a trailing leg on the landing and going into a roll, losing precious seconds.

On his feet again, Ron completely ignored the rope. He wasn't used to swinging on this type of rope so he wouldn't bother with it.

'_Time to commit, Ron-man.'_ Diving into space he hit the rails in the most original way anyone had done yet. Ron hit the rails head first, the exact opposite of the navy-style slide. Luckily, the dismount was clean, rolling off onto the concrete with little time lost. Out of breath, Ron finally realized he was at the last section already.

_'Go, go, go, Go, Go, GO!'_

Ron ran like he was being chased by Stickers during practice.

First hurdle, easy enough. Once hand and he was over. Then came the slide, which Ron took feet first. He was used to this, having slide-tackled goons before when saving the world with Kim. To his feet, then came the hard part.

'_I wish I thought this through earlier._'

The car was the one section Ron hadn't figured out how to pull off yet. Time slowed down as he ran towards it, legs burning something fierce.

'_Under...can't be done...Over...not fast enough...hood, nope...Ah, hell...Go for it!_'

* * *

Stickers had been watching his friend run the course and was definitely impressed.

"Dude, the Ron-man is cooking!" Ron was moving fast enough for a position in the top three if he didn't take too long on this last move.

"Go Ron, wooooohooooo!" Stickers let out a cheer for his buddy as he reached the car. What Ron did next caused Stickers' jaw to drop and the expert Runner just go quiet. This was something really special.

* * *

Ron figured if he was going to go for it, might as well go out with style.

Time took its usual course again with Ron nearly to the car. Stutter stepping to gain his footing, Ron dove straight into the side of the car in a huge move through the rear seating area. Just as he was about to clear the whole interior and out the other side, Ron's foot clipped the headrest on the front seats, sending him slightly out of control and into a side roll onto the ground. Luckily, he just rolled across the finish line as it was only five feet away.

A bit dazed, Ron stayed on the ground for a few seconds gathering his wits.

"Woah, anyone get the name of that truck." Grinning as usual, Ron took a proffered hand from one of the staff and was puled to his feet to one of the biggest reactions of the day.

"**Holy guacamole ladies and gentlemen! Let's hear it for Ron Stoppable who just hit third place in his first time out with a truly inspired Run. This cat is someone to watch in the future. I think our leader for the speed round nearly had a heart attack at one point. Give it up! Wooohooo!"**

The announcer was obviously pumped, and so was the crowd. Everyone from competitors to staff and just bystanders were cheering like mad for Ron. In his credit, he didn't lose his pants, but he was definitely awestruck by the support. Even the leader, a tall African fellow, gave him a thumbs up. Still sucking in air, Ron was assaulted again.

"Oof!"

"Dude, sick run! You got third place, nice!" Stickers had tackled Ron in a friendly hug. Unfortunately for Ron, he was still recovering and Stickers was definitely stronger than he looked.

"Cough...breathe...gasp...can't..."

"Woops, sorry dude." Stickers released Ron back to search for more air. A few seconds later he finally caught is breath.

"Whew, thanks Stickers. Much obliged, well, for the congrats at least. Can't say I'm too thrilled about being suffocated." He gave Stickers a goofy grin.

"Yeah, sorry about that, got a bit carried away. But Ron man, you rocked the socks on that one. I mean, no one comes behind me and Antelope on the first try."

"The leader?"

"Yeah man, he's the best around at these types of comps. Well, Kat is probably better depending on terrain. They usually trade first and second place when they compete. I've won a few but that only happens when its on a flat course with lots of space."

"Why isn't she here today?"

"Work. Couldn't get the time off and she had some major clients who needed a rush job. You know how it goes." Ron nodded. He had a few days like that over the last few weeks. So much work you couldn't get away. Stickers started walking into the crowd with Ron following. "Hey Ron, wanna grab some grub?"

"Uh, doesn't the next comp start soon?"

"Nah man, they need time to set up. It doesn't start for another hour or so. Enough time to go grab some Chinese?"

"Dude, you are so speaking my language!" Ron bumped fists with Stickers and the two went off in search of the oriental delicacy. Out of the back of Ron's bag a tiny pink rodent wearing a wise-brimmed hat and wielding chopsticks cheered.

* * *

"Dude, that chicken was awesome!" Stickers patted his stomach in satisfaction. Ron took a little bow.

"What can I say, the Ron-man knows his food! But I gotta say, it was even a stretch for me to try it with deep dish pineapple pizza."

"Word!"

"**Alright boys and girls, we are ready to go for the next competition. Would all competitors for the freestyle Run get your butts down to the start line. We start in ten minutes. I repeat, ten minutes to start."**

"Well, that's your cue Ron. Good luck bro." Stickers gave Ron a slap on the back.

"Woah there, hang on. Where are you going?" Ron stopped Stickers from walking off.

"Dude, I'm no trickster. You know that."

"Nuh uh, you got me into this, so you gotta do it too." Ron gave Stickers his best 'note serious face' look. Luckily, Stickers had about the same tolerance as Ron when it came to serious faces and PDP's.

"Alright, I guess I do owe you one. One for one today, eh?"

"Booyah bro! But just because we're friends doesn't mean..." Ron got cut off as Stickers took a swat at him. The two chased each other all the way down to the start line to get signed up and checked in.

break

"Ow, hey, leggo!" Stickers had Ron in a headlock noogie. Classic.

"Baby!"

But Stickers did let him go. The two competitors were warming up with the other combatants while waiting for the final announcement to come on.

"So Stickers, how does this one work?" Ron asked as he stretched out a tight neck muscle.

"Basically, there's a one minute time frame and you do that best tricks possible in that time frame. It's sudden death just like the speed round so you only get one shot to get the highest score possible. Sometimes its done in rounds, but not today. Honestly, just go nuts and be as creative as you can. Oh, but it's best if you use as much variety as you can. All ground moves won't get you shit."

"Gotcha, stay moving, do lots of it, jump off and on stuff." Ron summarized in his usual way.

"Uh...yeah. Let's go with that." Stickers just shook his head in bemused confusion.

"**Last call for Runners. Get to the starting area now or be disqualified."**

"Alright Ron, this is it. You ready?"

"Dude, I was born ready!"

"**First Runner to the start line. Time will start in 5...4...3...2...1...GO!"**

The crowd joined in the chanting, sending off the first runner into the modified area. Ron and Stickers looked on, trying to memorize the course layout. The obstacles were basically laid out in a big square area about the size of a quarter of a soccer field. Big enough to get up a head of steam, but small enough not to spread out the obstacles too much. The scaffolding had been added to, now with multiple levels, individual platforms, gaps and even random poles sticking out to grab on to at all angles. An old set of jungle gyms had been pulled out, as well as other various obstacles such as old cars, hay bales, railings, crates, etc. It really was just like a big junkyard in the middle of the park, with some running spaces in between. Ron and Stickers listened to the running commentary as the Runners went through the ranks from last to first place. Being in the top three, they had some time to observe the best and worst.

"**And Monza pulls a 900 reverse wall ride with only a slight stumble off the landing..."**

"**...with a sick Double-back flip to flatspin over the hay-bales, Arcanum takes the new lead..."**

"**Woah, mad props for the wall-to-wall-to-rollout run by the representative from the Sky Spiders..."**

Points for the Runners ranged from a 5.4 all the way to an 8.8 for the current leader. The maximum would have been 10, but that would have taken pretty much all original tricks or flawless execution of some of the most difficult traditional ones. Every trick that could be pulled off was being pulled and it was starting to make Ron a bit nervous, not to mention Stickers.

"Ah, hell. This is gonna be tough." Stickers complained as Ron got ready for his round, "I am so not ready for this today."

"You not ready? What about me? I've only been at this for a few weeks and I'm already in a competition dude." Ron gave his friend a ribbing, "What, you don't think you can handle what the Ron-man is puttin' down yo?" With his best 'thug' voice, Ron struck the most ridiculous east-coast/west-coast pose imaginable. However foolish, it got the desired effect. Stickers couldn't back down to anything.

"Is that a challenge Stoppable? Coming from a guy known for losing his pants, that's some big talk." Stickers quipped, his face starting to morph into some semblance of his usual maniacal grin.

"Ya knows! Bring it on Stick-man!" Ron flicked his nose in a mocking salute and made for the start line when the announcer had just called his turn, "I'll make sure to leave a spot for you on the podium...below me."

"Oh, it's on Ron! I'll let you shine my shoes when I win." Stickers was back to his old cocky and competitive self with Ron's antics. Now more relaxed, Stickers settled in to watch Ron's run.

As for Ron, well, he was a little more relaxed, but now the atmosphere of the crowd and the venue was gearing him up again. The adrenaline started pumping through his veins causing his eyes to dilate beneath his sunglasses. His palms started to get sweaty so it was lucky he was wearing gloves. He started to feel a bit warm standing at the starting gate, so he whipped off his hoodie just as the announcer gave his first warning of the five count.

"**Runner at the ready...5..."**

Ron now stood defiant in his t-shirt, the sweat cooling to his skin. He looked out to the crowd and saw a flash of red and green, reminding him of KP who was waiting back home for him at the end of the summer. This is why he was here, to push himself, to get better, all because of KP...no, _for_ KP.

"This one's for you KP." Ron said to the air as he tensed at the final count.

"**...2...1...GO!"**

"BOOYAH!" Ron yelled as he back-flipped off the starting block to start his Run. Time to show what he was made of.

* * *

Time to let me know what you think. Later days,

Niklos


End file.
